BBC MICRO ■ ELECTRON ATOM
SEPTEMBER 1984 £1
SPRITE DESIGN
MAKE UP
YOUR OWN
CARTOON
CHARACTERS
GAMES:
FRAK!, FORTRESS, CYLON
ATTACK - REVIEWS FOR
ELECTRON AND BBC
EXCLUSIVE:
PARFITT PLOTTER
> TRACKED DOWN
i EDUCATION:
WRITING PROGRAMS
' TO SOLVE PROBLEMS
^ ELECTRON ACTION:
/LISTINGS, REVIEWS
i AND ADVICE
DISC UTILITY:
WRITE YOUR
OWN FORMATTER
■■■**«r
DOUBLE MEASURE..
. wice as much storage capacity on youi present or proposed
discs.
The LVL true double density printed circuit board offers an
amazing 1,474,560 Bytes of on-line storage, on a twin 80
track double density drive.
Removed is the 8271; (it is nol capable of supporting double density). In it's
place, a small printed circuit board with a new disc controller and support
circuitry provides a much improved data retrieval.
This drastically reduces read errors by using a phased locked loop data
separator, which is superior to the standard window circuit.
Your BBC micro will now recognise the media density in the drive, and inform
you if it is correct. You may defme what density you require, 40 or 80 track, and
which sides of the disc to use.
The device gives complete flexibility and comes with an Eprom containing
firmware; manual, and a 40/80 track utilities disc. On a dual drive it is simplicity
itself to copy existing software from single density to double density.
• Double Density
• 40 or 60 track
• Automatically
• Own PCB with
checks for correct
seperale 8Mhz
density
clock
• No 8271 {Rare&
• Simple to fit
expensive)
• User definable
• Utilities provided
density
• Defaults to single
• Phase lock loop
density on power
data separator
up
circuit.
Scientific House.
Bridge Street. Sandiacre
Nottingham. NCIO SBA
Telephone (Q60Z) 394000
Boaid lATPLl
rWC VAT
39.95
59.00
32.95
3295
32.95
32 96
32.95
27.95
! 56 00
39.95
67,85
57.00
74 75
43.70
NO VAT
7 95
750
7 50
7 50
750
15.00
ROM SOFTWARE
VlB«
PrinlmaslBr
Careiiker
Disc Doctor
Tenni (terminal (rrriijlarorl
Granhids E>IBH5ion
OFS. The Uporatte
Acorn SoBecfi SvsIBrn Upgradi
HCCS Forth
HCCS Logo Forth
HCCS Pascal
HCXS Encal
ROM Eipan
The Bpsii
BOOKS
BBC Micro Disc Compan
CiealivB Graphics
Graphs & Ctians
Lisp Manual
Forth MariLial
BCPL Manual
Discovering SSC Micro
Machine Code 6.95
BBC Micru Oitk Manual 1 95
Disk Systems For
The BBC Micro 6 95
MICRO POWER INC VAT
Killer Gonlla 7.95
Cybartron Mission 7.95
Cosmic Combat 7,95
Chess a 7.95
□anger UX8 7,95
Eacspe Moonbase Alpha 7.9S
Fo)i> lo Factory 7.95
Fell! & Fmit Monslora 7.95
Nemesis 7.95
Bumble Bee 7.9S
Wiiaids Challanga 7.95
Jei Power Jack 7.96
Positron 7.96
Demon Decorator 6 66
Alien S»in 7.95
Alien OeatrDvars 7.96
Space Jailer 7,9S
GhDu)E 7,96
Moon Raider 7.95
The Mme 7,96
Hell OiTuer 7 95
L^rinihs o<
LaCoshc 7.9S
Zatm 7.95
Blockbuster 7,95
Rubble Tnjuble 7.95
Freniv 7,te
Slock Car 7.95
SUPERIOR
SOFTWARE INC VAT
HunchbaLk 7.95
Overdrive 7,95
Baltlelank 7.96
Cosmic Kidrup 7.9B
Star BaKle 7,95
Moon Mission 7.95
Percy Penfluin 7.95
Boris In The Underworid 7.95
Rocky 7.95
SpirTire Command 7.95
Crsiy Painter 7.95
Roacl Racer 7.95
OPUS INC VAT
Dogfighi 8.95
BUG-BYTE INC VAT
Twin Kirigdom Valley 9 95
DYNABYTE INC VAT
Pool 7.95
Horserace 7,95
Lamming Syndrome 7.95
Corpome Climber 7.95
BBC/ACORNSOFT INC VAT
Algebraic ManiDulaiion 9,95
Suiiness Games 9 95
Castle of Riddles 9.95
Creative Graphics 9.95
Countdown to Doom 9.95
Forth 16,85
Graphs & Charts 9.96
Hopper 9.95
Lisp 1 6 85
BCPL (Rom + Drac) 99.95
Missile Base 9.95
Meteors 9 95
Kingdom Of Hamil 9.95
Monsters 9.95
Planetoid 9,95
Rocket Raid 9 96
Snooker 9,95
Sphini Adventure 9.95
Starship Command 9 95
Tree of KnovvlBllBe 9 95
Snapper g 95
Shirley Conran s Magic Garden 9.95
Personal Money Manageirwnr 9.95
Oraughis and Reversi 9.95
Aviator CD
J C B Digger
Free ,^aH
Carousel!
14,95/17 25
9.95
9 96
9.95
ACORNSOFT EDUCATIONAL
SOFTWARE NOW AVAILABLE
While Knighl II
Vutype
Tan Calc
Beyond Basic
ToollMi
Canyon
Record Keeper
Doctor Who
ACORNSOFT MIRLE NOW
IN STOCK P.O A
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Pertm 5 50
Cosmic Cruiser 5 bO
INVASION SOFTWARE INC VAT
Eagles Wing 7 95
Spooks anifSpiders J 95
3-D Bomb Allej 795
Guns moke 7 95
Vonei 7 95
Attack or alpha Ceniauri 7 95
VISIONS INC VAT
Snooker 7 95
Digg» „ 7.96
Daredevil Dennis 7 95
Nitly Lifty 7.95
Uemolater 7 95
Piingi 7 95
PSION INC VAT
Saloon SaPIv 6 95
Vi'Calc 14 95
VuFile 14 95
MELBOURNE HOUSE INC VAT
The Hobbit 14.95
tJnw 3 totally "E* concept in lovsi ' ^ conned A^V
Atari type lOYSl'ck for ins anny^^^„„,o,
convarsionprogrammeano^^oy ^^1^,^ onc_
ONLY ~ "^
0^
TORCH 289
DISC PACK
WITH OVER
C1.10DOF
SOFTWARE
FREE
nEBTboiy rwiii.?*)
J [IJtl-uili BBC Mine
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+ 60p CaniBB^
RING FOR
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> tl-m^ ('.It » ir,i.;r-
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.^>r powwful BBC Wiirudnc
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Complnr Jid PHncrudi A>t [r Ftb*
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^'" ' of on.board sockpt.
are connected properly _
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BBC Micro. Exislma
Sfe'^^.^^'^^-^are
-^ac^ceiur;r,h^°s?-"
^""■"•-g side>v^se "'
ONLV
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ADVENTURE
INTERNATIONAL
INC VAT
The Hulk
9.95
AOven rural and
9.95
Voodoo Castia
9.95
Secret Mission
9.95
PiraiB Adventure
9,95
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Heibi
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Football Manager
690
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5 70
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
THE ONE AND ONLY BBC, ELECTRON AND ATOM MAGAZINE
September 1984 No 26
Covei photography by Chris Ryan, matie-up by Marilyn Du
Preez, illuEtralions by Ke«in Faerber
Editor TonyQuinn
Production editor Keith Parish
Technical editors Alex van Someren,
Bruce Smith
Editorial assistant Kitty Milne
Art editor Nigel Wingrove
Art assistant Frances King
Publishing director Michael Potter
Editorial director Christopher Ward
Editorial
Redwood Publishing,
68 Long Acre, London
WC2E 9JH. Tel: 01-836 2441
Advertising
Computer Marketplace Ltd, 20
Orange St, London WC2H 7ED.
Tel: 01-930 1612
Subscriptions
Jan Potter, Subscriptions manager.
Tel: Nutfield Ridge (073782) 2957.
Correspondence: Redwood Pub-
lishing. 68 Long Acre, London
WC2E9JH.
Annual subscription rates:
UK ei5
Europe E25
Middle East E30
The Americas and Africa £30
Rest of the World £35
Prices include p&p lor 12 issues
Acorn User welcomes submissiona from readers
Articles should tie typed, double-spaced lew, wdh dia-
grains on separale sheets Please enclose programs on
disc or cassette, with a listing ((possible Photos should
be 35nirT!, or larger, [ransparencies, or 5iri tiy 7in black
and white prints Ensure your name is on euerything.
Please include a suitable stamped, addressed envelope
tor return. Articles are acknowledged on receipt.
Typeset and printed in Great Britain by Wat-
moughs Ltd, Bradlord. Print production by
Aquarius Print and Design, London. Distributed
to the news trade by Comag, Tavistock Rd, West
Drayton, Middlesex UB7 7QE. Tel: (0835) 44405.
© Redwood Publishing 1984
All rights reserved. No part ot this publication
may be reproduced without prior written per-
mission ot the publisher. The publisher cannot
accept any responsibility for claims or errors in
articles, programs or advertisements pub-
lished. The opinions expressed on the pages of
this magazine are those of the authors and do
not necessarily represent those of the pub-
lisher, Acorn Computers Ltd, or Acornsoft Ltd.
Acorn, Acornsoft, and the Acorn symbol are the
registered trademarks of Acorn Computers Ltd
and Acornsoft Ltd.
New Users
First Byte 33
Two features to shov/ you how those blancJ-
lookmg Mstings turn into exciting screen
action
Flying start You too can achieve
elementary animation effects with Tessie
Revivts' 'Fly in the Sky' program, and take
the (irst step in the orchestration o( sound
as a screen star is born . . ,
Para zone The Paranoids drop in and they
don't look friendly! As you pick them off
you'll also picl( up a lot about the
techniques o( programming procedures.
Get tapping and zapping with Michael Why
Hints & Tips 50
Martin Phillips gives readers a helping
hand with advice on keeping control ot a
scrolling listing; when to use brackets;
random numbers from string functions;
VDU commands; handling numbers;
checks for disc drive and printer; ribbon
economy; cassette care; and when to
switch off
Letters 59
Piracy and protection, copying ROM, the
big joke in the land of Oz, Break key side
effects, computers in adult literacy-all in
a lively batch of reader reaction
Dear Kitty ... 63
Toughest problem for the newcomer is all
the jargon- Kitty cuts a path through the
undergrowth. Why those extraordinary
symbols? What are sideways ROMs and
RAMs?
Business
Nucleus power 113
John Vaux moves on to the Z80 bundle's
Nucleus system generator, which allows a
company to create its own menu-based
programs. He studies the languages and
delivers his verdict on the whole second
processor package
Accountability
117
Also rounded up- Acornsoft's business
suite of programs, with a review of the two
accounts packages for the small company
by Paul Beverley
Education
Problem-solving 65
Joe Telford again has something for the
young User. Six things, in fact: problems,
Bui nothing that can't be solved with a bit
of clear thinking , , , and programming
Atom
Smart operators 125
Barry Pickles clears the computerspeak
away from the Atom's indirection
operators query {?} and pling (!) and
explains the simple logic behind them
Atom Forum 127
Text processor for Base-2 printers, single-
stepping through a machine-code program
with VIA fitted, a FILL command, and a
wire-frame acorn. Barry Pickles is yoOr
MC
Reviews
Torch Unicorn 139
Andrew Cummins and Peter Voke put
Torch's Unicorn system on trial: with its 16-
bit and Z80 processors, 20Mb hard disc
drive plus floppy drive it opens up the Unix
environment to the Beeb
Alternative keyboard 143
Report on Microwriter's Beeb-specific
Quinkey add-on from Peter Voke, Is the
keyboard revolution at hand?
Yellow listing pages
You'll find all the main listings of this
issue in the yellow pages
Better RNGs
Hi-Basic program, and tiardware
controller
First Byte
Flies and Paranoids
Hints & Tips
Fifteen routines
Kaleidoscope
Whirling chips of colour
Spritely characters
Complete designer's toolkit
Problem-solving xi
Six model solutions
Disc utilities xlv
Powerful formatter
Atom Forum xvi
Text processing, single-stepping
VIII
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
CONTENTS
Parlill plotter 147
Exclusive review of the Parfitt plotter.
Chris Steele sees an educational role for
this bare-bones, economy machine
Games 153
1984, Incentive's government simulation;
Cylon Attack and Chuckie Egg by ASF;
Overdrive. Hunchback and BattlelankUom
Superior; DallasUom Cases; Fortress from
Pace -and hailed as a classic this month:
Fraklby Aardvark
Utility software 161
Salamander's Turbo Compiler, and the
three-in-one pack Multi-Aid, by Dynabyte
Educational software 163
System software's Titrations-, text handhng
with Daco's The Storyline: and ABC letter
association program Alphabetirom
Opalsoft
Regulars
The News 7
The law that could revolutionise teletext,
the thoughts of chairman Curry, new deal
for the Electron - plus the latest on the
Acorn User Show
Competition
88
Mad Alex dabbles in amicable numbers.
Work out the right combination and a
Cumana disc drive could be yours. Three
drives to be won worth £580
Back Issues
Check them out and order yours
Acorn User software
Two great games plus all Acorn User's
listings on a tape
94
96
97
Beeb Forum
Bruce Smith presents clever wheezes from
readers; Wordwise copies at a keystroke;
green screen characters; fastest dump in
the West; and teletext editing on-screen
DFS OSWORD II 102
Create your own disc formatter, with a little
help from George Hill
How It works 107
Paul Beverley and Nigel Eames in quest of
a better random number generator
Top 20 software 137
Spectacular leaps among the best-selling
games
User groups
Where to make friends
Free ads
Readers buy, sell and swap hardware
Small ads
Acorn Abuser's Diary
Railings, rumours and ridicule
177
178
183
184
IN THIS
ISSUE. . .
GETTING ANIMATED
I Sprite Design 74
Make up your own cartoon
characters and shapes in
colour with a few simple
keystrokes - and next month
we'll show you how to
animate them
II Flying program
First Byters learn
techniques of writing a
program to produce
movement on the screen
and sound
33
Tapping Into Tass 27
With the right equipment you can use
your Beeb to unscramble and print-out
coded radio teletype signals from
around the world- Robin Mudge shows
you how
65
Problem pages
'if it takes six men , . ,' Joe Telford
keeps 'em busy in the school holidays
with six classic problems - and how
they can be solved by programming
NEXT MONTH. . .
FREE cover gift!
A re-usable plastic function key strip for
your BBC micro or Electron
The origins of life
How a BBC micro is helping to establish
a theory of microbes from space
Communications
A round-up of the bulletin boards
avaMable for your micro
Cartoon animation
Now you can design sprites, we show
you how to move them
Electron music
Software to play tunes on
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Introducing BEEBUGSOFT
Until recently a very special range of applications and utility packages for
the BBC micro has been unavailable to the general public.
This softv/are has been produced by the BBC user group BEEBUG for its
members. BEEBUG members tend to be a
demanding and discerning group of
individuals; and the range of software
produced has been kept to a
consistently high standard through
their constant vigilance.
As a result, BEEBUG softv/are is
highly acclaimed amongst BEEBUG's
25,000 members. Independent
reviev^s from the major computing
magazines seem to take a similar
viev/ of the softv/are, as you can
see from their comments.
SPiUXHi
.he disc based speltin
checker for text creotedo
Wordwise or View,
: - invaluable... faf°"d
reliable . - . o worthwhile
investmenf-
PCN February 19*
,,.j^ DPTIUHS .^BE.-
gpslltng cfwcfc
Diction-'-V "*'""*
O - S.l»c:t Drlv.
e . End Proflr««
S . Sav* T»«*
SELECT VOUR OPTIOM _
to speed up Basic program
development and debugging.
" - on /nd/spensifa/e Q/d"
' EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING
R- March 1984
■ ■ wor//) every penny . . .
highly recommended" '
COMPUTING TODAy June 1984
. '■ - Its range of utilities is
E excellent "
Eprom £2
O EdU program
(or opfioo: 1
fch string: Kk
■0 DEFPROCEVnLCU*
1^60 Sbufj^c
f«.y5-.iR, ^,. __,
■ X^ -bo»»;V*-bu(TOI
SPRIf E UTILITIES
A gome writers utility pock
enabling high speed arcade
games to be quickly written
in Basic.
". . definitely recommended
. . . exceilent"
ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTING
Moy 1984
". . Sprife Uliiities wins
; through"
mmmmmmmssi
Cassette C 10.00
Msc £12.00
PAINTBOX
Probably the ultimate joystick
drawing package on the BBC
Micro, great fun and highly
educational.
. . amazingly versatile . . .
easy to use . . . (one of the
most feature laden picture
creating programs around)
. . . tremendous potential'
EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING Jon 1984
". . o very sophisticated and
versatile utility"
ELECTRONICS AND COMPUTING
Cassette £10.00
Disc £ 12.00
iilRliiRllf«»»®.
t^ a o e c
-?^''^ryn^r,.
^^zA"-"
OO OO OO FF 30
E Edi. CESC ,nd,,
I Fill ^
• S«t PC
p I:.' ^•*"— -
<»P*c») Si
- ?*»P on on. I.v»i
J 'Si**' •"
J JSR
^i*,S^«e«'o^or^;^iirc2wo"?^"^T^
eve/iue jj
iXMON
An exfremely powerful
machine code monitor on
cQsseffe or eprom, offering
35 new commands for
debugging machine-code.
* . exceptionally
comprehensive . . . would b
nord to improve upon"
VOUR COMPUTER AO90.H983
■ ■ "Ji"y CA/WU/V IS
MICRONETMay 1984
If you would like to know more
about BEEBUGSOFT products,
see the advertisers' index of
this magazine, or telephone us for
a full software brochure.
BEEBUGSOFT
DtSIGN
A Computer An
pockage to allow 5«
be quickly creoted tor
display, demonstrafon,
handouts etc.
- first rate screen
'processor... immense v°
MIONAL COMPUTING
Cassette £10.00
Disc £19.00
products may
now be
obtained from
major dealers
including
selected
branches of W.H. Smith. (^
"^r^^'!r::*-
^"«
Cassettelf^
Alternatively all products
are available from us on mail order
from our despatch department in
High Wycombe.
BEEBUGSOFT deptl3 PO BOX 109
HIGH WYCOMBE BUCKS HP10 8HQ
TEL: ST. ALBANS (0727) 60263
Prices include VAT
The complete AMS disc drive package, tailored to your
BBC micro, is compatible with all disc interfaces and
includes cables, a comprehensive manual and utilities
on either disc or EPRQM. Housed in a steel case,
matching the BBC micro, these reUable and robust
Hitachi 3 " disc drives are the ultimate for home, office
and classroom.
The 3 " disc is totally enclosed in rigid plastic and a
unique automatic steel shutter protects the dehcate
disc surface from dust and hnger marks. For the first
time discs can be used in industrial, educational and
commercial environments without the worry of
corrupting precious programs and data.
The disc is "flippable" like a cassette tape and has a
storage capacity of lOOK on each side in single density
mode {twice as much when used writh a double density
interface). A neat plastic switch can be flicked back
and forth to write-protect valuable discs.
The AMS disc drives are completely hardware and
software compatible with 5' 4' drives which can be
used in parallel so allowing easy transfer of software.
Consequently the 3" drives will operate with all the
standard floppy disc mterfaces. They take their power
from the outlet provided by the BBC micro-there's no
onboard power supply to corrupt data.
The AMS package includes utilities on either disc or
EPRQM for formatting and verifying discs. The
EPROM, which is easily fitted, offers a simple to use
and permanent alternative to using the utilities disc.
The impressively engineered Hitachi 3 " drives feature
an eject button allowing single handed operation, a
multi-colour LED indicating the disc side in use, and a
brushless direct-drive motor for rehable operation.
The super fast track-to-track access time of 3ms is at
the forefront of disc drive technology. The longest of
programs are loaded in a flash.
Advance with AMS
Z" Disc Drives -The Ultimate Choice
_-rfe,=-i*., AH units include REPLICA II tape to disc soffware free of charge.
Recommended Retail Price
Single 2DDK-£16g
lOOK per side
Double 400K-E335
I2QDK per disc
includes VAT and delivery
I
NEWS
MAY
WINNER
AFTER much deliberation
over the 8,000-plus entries
for our May competition to
count to a million, the win-
ner was John Faris of Oak-
ham, Leicestershire.
He wins a BBC micro
wordprocessing system
worth E1,100. The winning
time was 1.004 seconds to
count from one to a million.
See next month's issue
for a full report -and the
reasons why times of 0.28
seconds were disallowed.
Meanwhile, please don't
phone us to say you wuz
robbed!
Communitel:
private view,
guest access
by Geo/f Nairn
COMMUNITEL is the latest
viewdata package for the BBC
micro -and also one of the
most sophisticated. The basic
£45 version lets you create a
private viewdata system com-
prising an editor to create the
pages and put them on the
database, a program to search
and display the pages, and a
carousel feature.
Packaged with a BT-
approved 'intelligent' modem
it sells for e325. In addition to
the features outlined, the Beeb
can act as a terminal to access
Prestel and other viewdata
systems. Frames from the
remote system can then be put
onto the Beeb's local data-
base. The maximum capacity
depends on your disc drives; a
single 100k drive will hold 95
frames. Telesoftware can also
be downloaded.
The most remarkable
feature of Communitel -and
the one that justifies the £325
price-tag -is the Host system.
Using this, the roles are
reversed and other people can
dial into your private viewdata
system.
A telesoftware formatter will
convert any text or data file
into standard telesoftware for-
mat and so make it available to
outside callers, no matter what
machine they are using.
The Communitel was
designed at the Netting Dale
Information Technology Con-
sultancy Unit-
New law opens up the
potential of teletext
A CHANGE in the law looks set
to revolutionise television
teletext and establish it as a
realistic rival to viewdata
services such as Prestel
accessed via the telephone.
At present the Independent
Broadcasting Authority, which
runs Oracle, is allowed to
broadcast only uncoded sig-
nals, which, of course, cannot
be charged for. However, new
legislation will give the Auth-
ority the right to transmit
scrambled information and
make subscribers hire decod-
ing equipment.
The prospect was opened
up by a last-minute amend-
ment to the Cable and Broad-
casting Bill in Parliament. The
change was added, with total
indifference from most fulPs.
by Home Office minister Doug-
las Hurd.
He explained that the IBA
had approached the Govern-
ment with a request for powers
to provide new teletext
services. 'In particular,' he
said, 'it was thinking of provid-
ing new information services
to specialist occupation or pro-
fessional groups, such as doc-
PROVISION OF ADDITIONAL TELETEXT SERVICES
— (1) If Ihe IBA provide additional teletext services,
ttien, for the purpose of enabling a teletext contractor to make
charges for the reception of transmissions coniaimng material
provided by him and broadcast in such a service, the IBA may,
notw ithstand ing anything in the 1 98 1 Act , broadcast the
transmissions in such a form (whether scrambled, eiKoded or
otherwise) as will prevent any person from receiving them unless
he obtains from tlie contractor the means of doing so.
(2) In this section and in the 1981 Act "additional teletext
service" means a teletext service (other tlian a DBS service)
wtiich is additional to those already provided by ttie IBA under
the 1981 Act.'.— /Afr. Hurd.}
First reading tor the teletext clause in the Cable and Broadcasting
Bill. It permits scrambled Oracle signals.
tors and farmers, on a sub-
scription basis.'
Receiving Oracle and the
BBC's Ceefax is, at present,
free (assuming you have a
teletext receiver), and down-
loading free software from
Ceefax can be done with a
BBC micro and an Acorn tele-
text adapter.
Britain is estimated to be
about five years ahead of the
rest of the world in teletext
technology and its potential
has not been appreciated fully.
Oracle's sales and market-
ing controller. Humphrey
Metzten reckons the possibili-
ties are immense: 'The tech-
nology provides opportunities
we had not even conceived
when we first began transmit-
ting teletext,
'It was regarded, quite
rightly, as a public broadcast
service and got lumped with
television. But we are now
talking about a totally new
medium. . . of which we still
don't know the full potential,'
An early application will be
aimed at halting the boom in
credit card frauds, now total-
ling about E40m a year.
CARRY ON, CURRY - The BBC has extended its
contract with Acorn (or another four years. This
means that Acorn's Model B can still bear the
'BBC name. Half a dozen other suppliers had
approached Ihe Corporation with alternative
machines -among Ihem ACT and Sinclair. Wit-
nessing Acorn chairman Chris Curry's signature
on the agreement are Or Hermann Mauser,
Acorn joint MD (left); Bryon Parkin, MD of BBC
Enterprises; and (seated) Bill Cotton, BBC Enter-
prises chairman. When the four years are up. the
BBC Model B will be more than six years old. In
the meantime, Acorn talks of Ihe micro's expan-
sion possibilities-both existing and planned. On
the subject of a 'Model C it's 'no comment', how-
ever.
US database at local call rates
DIALOG Information Services
has set up a dial-up computer
information service for home
micro owners-
Called Knowledge Index,
this is a smaller version of its
massive Dialog service, used
by researchers, scientists and
libraries. Dialog provides on-
line access to more than 200
specialised databases and
contains over 100 million
items of information.
Knowledge Index offers 20
databases, accessing more
than 20 million summaries of
books, newspaper articles,
technical reports and com-
puter programs.
All this information is stored
in the US, but you don't have to
pay transatlantic phone
charges - just a local rate.
This is because you use British
Telecom 's Packet Switch
Stream Service and so dial
one of the 18 or so regional
PSS numbers.
With the service restricted to
outside office hours (6pm to
Sam), Knowledge Index is
cheaper than the full Dialog
service at $24 an hour.
Further details: Knowledge
Index, PO Box 8, Abingdon,
Oxford 0X13 6EG.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
BBC Microcomputer in the NORTH
CTECH Computers Te1ephone:06 1-366-8223/7794
Computers £ P
BBC Model B 346.95
BBC Model B with DFS 407.82
BBC Model B with DFS & Econet 439.00
BBC Model B with DFS & Wordwise 433.92
Acorn Equipment
6502 2nd Processor
Z80A2nd Processor
Telextext Adaptor
Electron Computer
All computers come with Free Cassette Lead and Software Package. Most add-ons include free fitting and installation.
Monitors
Philips Hi Res
Microvitec Normal Res
Ferguson TX-90 R G B/TV
68.69
199.00
199.00
Light Pens and Joysticks
Addon Light Pen
JMB Full Analogue Joystick
Joystick Pairs
Hi-Fi Exiension Cable
21.70
13.00
17,35
C5.17
Components and Cables
We stock everything e.g.:
2764 Eproms
27128Eproms
8271 Eproms
Printer Cables
Disk Power Cables
6.04
POA
POA
12.99
8,65
Diskettes D. sided, D. density.
PHONE FOR
CURRENT PRICES.
Addons
ROM/RAM Extension Board
Light Pen
OEL 200 Prestel Terminal
Acorn Speech Synth
Chip Chat Speech Synth
Pace Grapevine
ROM Software
Wordwise
Graphics ROM
Print Master
View 2,1
Ultra-Calc
1,2 0,S,
Disk Doctor
BCPL
Termi
Commstar
DISK DRIVES FROM C9S.00 + VAT
Bare CHINON F051D, Slimline, 40 Track, Single Sided, 100K(200K Double Density). As above but complete wilh Cables, Utility
Disk. Cables, Case and Manual. £109.00 *■ VAT
Bare TEAC55F, Slimline. 40/80 Track. Double Sided 400K (800K at Double Density). £169.00 . VAT
As above but complete with Cables, Utility Disk, Cables, Case and Manual. £199.00 + VAT
DUAL DRIVES FROM £199 t VAT ^^ „. ,
Dual CHINON F051D. Slimline, 40 Track. Single SkJed 2 x 100K (2 X 200K Double Density). Complete wilh Cables, Utitily Disk.
Cables, Case and Manual, £369 ^- VAT
Dual TEAC 55F, Slimline. 40/80 Track. Double Sided. 2 v 400K (2 x SOOK wilh Double Density), Complete with Cables. Utility
Disk, Cables, Case and Manual. (With your drive you may need an interface).
DISK INTERFACES FROM £69.00 * VAT
The Fabulous LVL Single and Double Density Interface, This will allow you to read and write to Acorn Disks see below. Bui also you
can create your own Single OR Double Density Diskettes for extra online storage. Maximum capacity is 1 .6 MB with 8 logical drives
and 248 tiles. The standard Acorn Interface is available from us this uses the 8271 disk controller which gives very fast access to
disk files. Acorn DFS is the standard for the BBC Micro il allows 31 files per disk and a maximum of 800K on 4 logical drives.
£85,00 + VAT
PRINTERS
SHINWA CP80, 80 column, friction and tractor feed, Bi Directional logic seeking. Hi-RES and Block Graphics. Sub and
Superscripts, Condensed, Emphasised, Undedining. Tabs and Italics plus morel £199 + VAT
CANON PW 1080A This is the latest state of the art in printer technology. This machine out performs the EPSON FX80. It will do
everything the FX80 does and more besides and using the same control codesi What makes the PW1080A so speoal is not only its
superb value for money but the Near LETTER QUALITY mode. We include a free screen dump and our BBC Micro Instructions as
well as the excellent manual, £259 + VAT. , , j ,-
QUEN 51 00 Daisywheel, This British assembled printer has all the features that you would expect like Auto Bold, Auto Underline,
Sheet Feeder option Take Qume daisywheels and Ribbons, 20Cps Bi Directional, £299 + VAT
A/I prices Plus VAT
PRICES...
All our prices are
constantly moving, so
please ring us to check
the latest price.
FREE DELIVERYTODAY
(Orders over £90)
ASK ABOUT OUR INSTALLATION SERVICE
If you are in Greater Manchester, Cheshire.
Lancashire, Midlands, Merseyside, West
Yorkshire or South Yorkshire, if you ring us
now we can send one of our highly trained
staff to install your computer equipment today.
(Now for business software too!)
C P
173,04
260.00
199,00
173,04
40.43
21.69
87,39
47,83
26-04
POA
34.74
28.65
28.65
47.83
56.48
7.38
25.17
86.09
28.65
30.39
C iV TECH
^^ COMPUTERS
184 Market Street,
Hyde, Cheshire
SK14 1EX
061-366 7794
061-366 8223
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
NEWS
COMPUTER classes are a den
of thieves' because of the way'
teachers rip off educational
software, claims Acorn chair-
man Chris Curry.
In evidence to a House of
Lords select committee, he
told their Lordships that this
was one of the reasons for so
little decent educational pro-
grams. Software houses, he
said, were being put off
because of the way programs
would be pirated.
Most of the software
industry regarded the schools
as 'a den of thieves," and as a
result most of the programs
are being produced by the
teachers themselves.
But he said there was also
an 'encouraging' black econ-
omy in schools sottware from
pupils.
'There is an enormous
industry amongst children at
school, producing material
from curriculum material that
they are learning, which they
are then selling on to other
people.'
BRITAIN'S bid to get in on the
fifth generation" computers is
in trouble, claims Chris Curry,
The British programme.
Alvey, was set up with Govern-
ment blessing and cash based
on the hope that it would prod
the home-based computer
industry towards the fabled
fifth generation.
Curry cast doubts on
whether Alvey had proved stim-
ulating and attracted people.
That might have been true in
the beginning, but not any
more, he said.
Though admitting that Acorn
was involved in the venture he
bluntly told the Lords: 'The
general belief is that the Alvey
programme is faltering badly.
The thoughts of
chairman Curry
Chris Curry recently gave evidence to a House of Lords
select commillee. Here, Bill Penfold reports on some of the
topics on which the Acorn chairman spoke his mind.
and that it is in serious need of
some re-invigoration."
The big worry, he explained,
was that the funds would be
gobbled up by the big com-
panies that had traditionally
got the Government money'.
A MAJOR question mark is
hanging over the future of
classroom computers once the
present MEP comes to an end
later this year and it is worry-
ing Chris Curry. In particular,
will teachers still get the
necessary training?
He told the select committee
of his concern that the pro-
gress achieved over the last
few years is continued once
government funding runs out.
He reckoned the MEP had
done a good job on in-service
training, but only about 20 per
cent of teachers had received
a basic awareness level train-
ing in modern information
technology.
'It would be wrong to think
without Government support
local authorities will be able to
maintain the level of support
that the MEP has been provid-
ing,' predicted Chris Curry.
What he would like to see
was colleges and departments
of education being encour-
aged to ensure all student
teachers are familiar with new
technology.
DON'T bash Basic because it'll
Curry taken to task
CHRIS Curry was taken to task
over his evidence on encour-
aging girls to use computers.
Lady Lockwood complained
that the Acorn chief had been
apologetic in the way he had
explained the need for pro-
grams on subjects like knit-
ting. 'The whole problem is
that the so-called masculine
subjects have always been
taught in a way which does
interest boys. I do not think you
would have made the same
apologetic point had the pro-
gram been concerned with
cricket, or, as so many games
are, with warfare.'
Lady Lockwood insisted that
computer companies should
be looking at subjects girls-
were interested in.
Chris Curry . . . gave evidence
be around for some time yet,
according to Chris Curry -a
view very different from much
of the received wisdom pre-
sented to the parliamentary
inquiry.
Many of the witnesses said
Basic was a barrier and should
be dropped as a computer
language in schools.
However, the Acorn chief
believed that was probably
only half right. Acorn, he told
the committee, still used Basic
as the main programming
language and he thought so
did most of industry.
'I know there are probably
arguments for using high level
languages, but Basic has been
a very good workhorse so far,
and I think it will last us some
more years,' he said.
Gaelic news
on a Torch
THE Western Isles of Scotland
may be remote but they no
longer need be out of touch
A local viewdata system
similar to Prestel called Brue-
tel has been running since
April in the islands' schools
and eventually the service will
be accessible by anyone.
A Torch computer holds
about 3500 pages on a hard
disc, which outlying schools
can dial-up using a modem
and their BBC micro. At the
moment, 26 schools have the
necessary hardware but soon
all of the 70 schools in the
Kenny Malheson in control of ttie Bruetel system on a Torch
Western Isles Island Council's
area should be on-line.
The pages contain local
news, 'what's on' information,
educational items and re-
sponse frames. Some pages
are written in Gaelic. After the
service has been tested in
schools, it will be extended to
local communities.
Micro upgrade
kit for Beeb
THE Beebs 6502 microproces-
sor has been given an over-
haul by one of its manufac-
turers Rockwell International.
The upgraded processor is
christened the R65C02 and
uses CMOS technology. In
giving the processor a facelift,
31 new instructions have been
added.
RCS Microsystems is
marketing a 65C02 upgrade kit
which also includes patch soft-
ware to implement the new
opcodes mnemonically in the
assembler. The kit costs
E17.25. Further details on 01-
979 2204.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
NEWS
I
Pace first with
drive link
for Electron
THE race to produce the lirst
disc interface for the Electron
has been won by Pace, The
interface, christened 'Le Box',
consists of a power supply,
PCB with interface and
upgraded Amcom Disc Filing
System and 5s>n disc drive.
Price of the complete inter-
•B face, including the Pace disc
drive, will be £299 plus VAT,
and Pace is willing to provide
the interface on its own for
about £100 less.
Le Box sits underneath Ihe
Electron and includes the
facility for adding a second
drive. Based on the 8271 disc
controller chip, the unit is nor-
mally supplied with a single-
sided 40-track drive providing
100k of storage per disc. Other
drives may be supplied on
request, including a 40/80
switchable unit offering 400k,
Le Box also includes eight
sideways ROM sockets to
allow Electron-compatible
ROM firmware to be used.
First units for retail sale will be
at the Acorn User Show.
Hunting the hare
HARESOFT has launched a
computer version of the
famous Masquerade treasure
hunt. Readers of Kit Williams'
book had to locate a buried
golden hare, and Haresoft has
bought it off the winner and is
offering it as a prize in the soft-
ware puzzle-or the winner
can have £30,000 in cash.
No digging this time -you
just tell Haresoft where the
hare is hidden. The program is
produced in two parts costing
£8.95 each; the first tape is
already out and the second
will be released next month,
Haresoft is at PO Box 365
London NW17JD.
The BBC MIDI interface from Rose-Morris will work with any MIDI
standard synthesiser. Hear it at the Acorn User Show
Electron gives
C4 a hearing
NOTWITHSTANDING the re-
newal of its contract with the
BBC, Acorn is including
cassette versions of programs
featured on Channel 4 in its
Electron starter pack.
Along with the micro, buyers
will get a cassette recorder,
User Guide, beginner's pro-
gramming manual, introduc-
tory cassette - plus a book and
software tape based on York-
shire Television's Me and My
Micro series. The starter pack
costs £245.
The five progammes, first
shown on Sunday mornings in
June, are to be repeated on
Monday evenings at 5.30 on
Channel 4, starting September
17- They aim to teach Basic
programming to the complete
novice- unlike the BBC's
computer programmes which
cover mainly applications. The
computer programs featured
in Me and My Micro can be
used with any machine. The
listings are available on
cassette for the Spectrum and
Electron, and it is these tapes
that are included in the Elec-
tron starter pack.
Acorn has also extended its
range of Electron software
from 12 titles to 30, all of them
being conversions of Beeb
software. They include Desk
Diary, Creative Graphics. Per-
sonal Money Management.
Draughts and Snapper
• Plus-1, the Electron's ROM
box, has come in for criticism
because two of the programs
on the introductory cassette
will not load when it is con-
nected to the computer.
The problem is caused
when the Electron tries to read
data files. The Plus-1 can be
'turned off with a series of 'FX
calls and normal operation re-
stored, but nevertheless the
fault is an embarrassment in a
product aimed at the inexperi-
enced user.
Beeb learns more languages
TWO new languages join the
Acornsoft range: S-Pascal and
Turtle Graphics.
S-Pascal is a subset of the
full language, aimed at the
education market. One major
limitation is that it only sup-
ports integer number vari-
ables. Turtle Graphics is a
subset of the Logo language,
using just the graphics com-
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
mands to move a 'turtle'
around the screen. Both
languages cost £16.85 on tape
or£19,90ondisc.
Full implementations of both
Logo and Pascal are planned
for the autumn, Pascal will
come on two 16k ROMs and
will conform to the ISO specifi-
cation, Acornsoft's Logo, also
on two ROM chips, will be able
to control floor turtles.
Three other versions of
Logo for the BBC micro are
due to arrive next month. From
the Open University, LSL and
LCSI, LSL's version will come
on a 16k ROM chip, the others
on a32kchip,
Acornsoft also promises for
the autumn a BBC micro ver-
sion of Comal on 16k ROM-
Beeb-bopping
on six tracks
ROSE-MORRIS, which sells
musical instruments, is
marketing a synthesiser inter-
face unit for the BBC micro.
Using a compatible keyboard
synthesiser, up to six tracks of
music can be composed and
then stored In the Beeb's
memory. On playback, notes
can be altered in pitch and
length using the red function
keys and the music can be dis-
played in notation form on the
screen.
The interface costs £159 and
will work with any MIDI
synthesiser (MIDI - Musical
Instrument Digital Interface -
is the connection standard tor
computers and synthesisers).
The cheapest MIDI syn-
thesiser costs about £500
The BBC B MIDI, as the
interface is called, consists of
a small box which plugs into
the Beeb's user port and IMHz
bus, while the other end con-
nects to your synthesiser This
is the first home computer
MIDI interface and it will be at
the Acorn User Show.
Video mixing
A RANGE of products from
Video Electronics enables the
BBC micro to interface with
other video equipment,
Beeb-Lock is a small box
which synchronises the RGB
video output of the micro to an
external signal-from a video
recorder or camera, for
example. Once synchronised,
the two signals can then be
mixed. A typical application
would be to superimpose cap-
tions or graphics onto a video
picture; the captions are typed
on the Beeb and the picture
comesfrom avideo recorder.
The basic Beeb-Lock. cost-
ing £220, takes its power from
the BBC micro auxiliary power
socket. An enhanced version,
at £380, comes with its own
power supply and a 'Down-
stream Mix/Key' feature,
which lets you add computer
text to the video signal without
havingaseparale video mixer.
Planned for the autumn is a
colour mapping board that
should interest Acorn Bitstik
users. Instead of being restric-
ted to the Beeb's eight colours,
you can make up your own
from a palette. The Bitstik
exploits this feature by letting
you 'mix' the colours on the
screen. Video Electronics is at
Wigan Road, Atherton, Man-
chester.
I
T\NO PRECISION JOYSTICKS
Set of 2 precision joystick
controllers.
Full analogue control with
2 potentiometers.
Self centering.
2 responsive fire buttons
positioned for maximum
ease and comfort
Compat/5/^ .
■ Short slimline joysticK
with thumbcup for
sensitive fingertip
control.
■ Easy and comfortable to
hold.
■ Rubber feet for table-top
.-;^^^
J^^pJVWj-
strike Control is
available from most Spectrum and good computer shops.
KAJt I JKAi I lU I c li. uui
'Trade marks and/or trade names
of companies concerned.
Failsworth, Manchester M35 OHS
Telephone: 061-682 2339
The Graduate^
The first IBM PC
compatible upgrade
for the BBC model B micro*
From only £764.00 the new Torch Graduate will upgrade
your BBC Model B to a powerful 16 bit business computer
TECHNICAL
Disc and hardware compatible
with the IBM PC, the Graduate is
the latest addition to the Torch
range of BBC upgrades. It's
MS'"-DOS operating system is
customised to IBM compatibility
allowing exploration of the massive
range of IBM compatible business
software, programming aids,
compilers and languages universally
available from most major software
houses.
Introduction to
MS-DOS
The Graduate ofters two levels
of upgrade, the G400 and the
G800, both with 128K on board
user memory as standard
(optionally 256K). This can be
increased to 1.2 Mbytes with an
IBM compatible expansion board.
The G400, contains a single,
double sided 320K formatted disc
drive and provides the low cost
introduction to MS'" -DOS for the
^-
SPECIFICATION
16-bit processor running ar 5 Mh:
• 128Ki)r256KRAM
• MS'^-CX^S operating system customised
Co IBM compatibility
• Model G400 - Single, double sided,
high density disc drive (320K formatted)
• Model G800-Twin, double sided, high
density disc drives {640K fomiatted)
• Integral stabilised power supply
• 2 IBM PC compatible hardware
expansion buses
• Software compatibility allows Ltitus
1-2-3 and all popular IBM PC business
programs to run without moditicarion,
subject to the constraints of the BBC
keyboard and display
• Disc interfiice is not required
Keyboard text and graphics supplied by
BBC Mcnlel B
THE GRADUATE
user who wants real 16 bit power
from his Model B.
More data stora ge
A step up from the G400 is the
G800 which offers twin, double
sided 320K disc drives for extra data
storage. Both the G400 and the
G800 provide the possibility of
further expansion for networking,
modems, etc. , via the IBM
compatible hardware slots provided
by the Graduate models. Each
model comes complete with a well
written user/technical manual and
connecting leads.
lust plug it in
Unlike other add-ons there is
no need to open the BBC to make
the connection. The compact and
tidy Graduate models simply plug in
to the IMgHz bus on the Model B.
Within minutes you can be up and
mnning with an IBM PC compatible
system that really means business.
The ran ge
Add 256K RAM, 640K disc
storage and IBM PC compatibility
to the BBC Micro for less than
£1,000.
GraduateG400(128K)£764inc.VAT
GraduateG400(256K)£815inc.VAT
GraduateG800(I28K)£949inc.VAT
GraduateG800(256K)£999inc.VAT
For further information
complete the coupon today.
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TORCH
.r
%
COMPUTERS "-i>«i-'
Lighting the way ahead.
Torch Computers Limited
Abberley House, Great Shelford, Cambridge CB2 5LQ.
Telephone (0223) 841000. Telex 818841 TORCH G.
The Graduate is nwnufactuted by Torch Compulers undei liteni.e from Data Technologies Ltd.
To; Tofch Computers Ltd. , Abherley House, Great Shelford
Cambridge CB2 5LQ. Telephone (0223) 841000
Please send further information on the Graduate and the
address of my nearest dealer.
i N:
Address
Post Code .
Telephone
AU9
20,000K Winchester Disc
for your BBC Micro
INTEC MAKES THE BBC REALLY COMPETE WITH
SYSTEMS COSTING 2X AS MUCH !
m
8!
Supports BBC and Acorn DFS,
Full file handling and diagnostic software utilities.
Data capacity from 5 Mb upwards.
Highspeed accessing.
UK manufactured.
s
-^0
'''^.\
■^h%
The INTEC 5o5 gives all these benefits PLUS the
removable hard disc cartridge providing a compact
secure and usable back-up or cartridge per application
approach. Why pay more for less'
For full details on the INTEC range of hard discs for the
BBC Micro, complete and post the tear-off slip or
phone INTEC now - 01761 5999.
INTEC
41A-45 Knights Hill
West Norwood, London SE27 OHS
Telex 8813271 GECOMS G
NTEC
SEE US AT
The 2nd
Officiol
Acorn Usei
Exhil:_")itior i
O. /MPiA
16-ry AUGUST
1984
I
NEWS
he 2nd
Official
Acorn User
Exhibifion
Held for the first time at
London's Olympia 2, tfie
Acorn User Show this year
runs from Thursday August
16 to Sunday the 19th. Hours
are: Thursday 10-7
(morning, trade-only), Friday
and Saturday 10-6, and
Sunday 10-5.
Beeb shows
confidence as
a business tool
FOR the business user, big or
small, the BBC micro now
offers some powerful systems
and this will be reflected at the
show- The Torch subsidiary of
Acorn now has a range of up-
grades for the BBC micro from
the Z80 second processor at
£340 (with the Perfect series of
software), to the Unicorn,
which at £3300 gives access to
the powerful Unix operating
system and a 20Mb hard disc.
See page 139 for review.
Torch has also taken over
the Graduate upgrade from
DTL and is selling the cheap-
est version at £765, The
Graduate has a 16-bit pro-
cessor, 128k of RAM and a
400k disc drive- More import-
ant, it is compatible with the
large range of software avail-
able for the IBM PC, even to
the extent that IBM discs will
work on the Graduate.
Acorn's own 280 second
processor, sold with a mixed
bundle of business software,
will also be highly visible. No
doubt the Acorn right hand will
pretend the Torch left hand
doesn't exist. Another in-
triguing point: will Acorn be
mouthing the initials ABM?
Intec will be promoting its
505 Winchester disc drives
with an 'adults-only' ice lolly
competition. It's not quite as
risque as it sounds. You get a
Walls Megabyte ice lolly and
are then entered in a lottery; if
your name comes out of the
hat you win one of Intec's 505
Winchester disc drives, worth
more than £3000. The 505 will
connect up to your Beeb and
has removable hard discs - so
offering virtually unlimited
IIMore show news and
information on page 16
storage. Why adults-only'?
Well. Intec is determined to
prevent its stand being
besieged by children thirsting
for afree ice-lolly.
If you are looking for a
printer yet are worried about
how to get it to work correctly,
then CJE Micro's stand is one
to visit. The company is offer-
ing a range of printer packs
using Star, Juki and Canon
printers. In the pack you get
the printer, a cable for the BBC
micro. View printer driver, a
screen dump program, operat-
ing booklet, 100 sheets of
paper and even a mains plug!
Typically such a package adds
about £20 to the price, but CJE
is promising cheaper prices
for the show.
Win a monitor or a printer
THERE'S a prize to be won
every day at the Acorn User
Show. In an easy-lo-enter
competition Acorn User's pub-
lisher, Redwood, is giving
away two Microvilec colour
monitors and two Acorn spark-
jet printers.
All you have to do is answer
the six questions posed on
page 5 of the show guide, com-
plete the rest of the entry form
and hand it in during the exhi-
bition to Redwood Publishing
at stand 98.
The first correct entry
picked out of a hat each day
will win a monitor (Thursday
and Saturday) or a printer
(Friday and Sunday). Runners-
up will receive Acorn User
games packages.
Winners will be chosen at
6.30pm each day and prizes
forwarded after the show
finally closes on Sunday,
August 19.
Quinkeys in
quadruplicate
THE Quinkey is an 'alternative
keyboard' for the Beeb devel-
oped from the well-known one-
handed Microwriter. Its maker,
Microwriter Ltd. supplies an
interface that allows four Quin-
keys to be connected to the
Beeb simultaneously in a
special education pack with
software. For a full review and
prices turn to page 145 of this
issue, or see the Ouinkey in
action at the show.
Data Efficiency will be show-
ing two pieces of hardware of
particular interest to schools:
the Strobe graphics plotter,
which comes with BBC micro
software and costs £229, and
the Taxan NLQ dot-matrix
printer, which for just £344
offers near letter-quality print
(reviewed in the June issue).
Keyzone's 'Printersharer' is
a switch unit that enables up to
six computers to share a
single parallel printer. A serial
version is also available. The
'Printerchanger' works the
other way round -one com-
puter can switch between
three different printers. Few
schools will have the luxury
of three different printers,
but many businesses use both
dot-matrix and daisywheel
printers from asingle micro.
Thomas Nelson, one of the
largest educational pub-
lishers, will be showing its
Nelcal range of software. New
titles include Statpack. a data-
logging package for science
subjects; Biology for A-level
students; and Micromapping,
a suite of six programs that
develop map skills in junior
children.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
SINGLE BOARD 6809 2nd PROCESSOR
FOR THE BBC MICRO
PROVIDES A LOW-COST DEVELOPMENT
SYSTEM FOR INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS.
• Sits inside tlie BBC or plugs into an extension rack
• Enables standard f-'LEX tbrniat discs to run on BBC.
• Supports High Level Language Compilers
• Cross Asseml)lers and Disassemblers for most micros
• Connects directly on to the tube
• 64k DRAM on board
• Two 28 pin byte wide memory soc:kets
• Acorn Bus compatible DIN 41612 Bus interface
• Also available as a single board controller
One of an exciting new range
of Eurocards from:
/ N
Cambridge
Microjirocessor
Systems Limited
ms
44a Hobson Street
Cambridge CBl INL
Tel. 0223 324141
Z80 SECOND PROCESSOR
With the addition of the Z80 second
processor the BBC becomes a
business machine fully compatible
with CP/M software. The Z80 comes
complete with word processing,
database, spreadsheet, graph plan
and accounts programs as well as CIS
COBOL, Nucleus System Generator,
Z80 Professional Basic and GSX
Graphics.
PRICE £299.00
TELETEXT RECEIVER
-^\ Converts your BBC into a Teletext
Ojs Terminal giving normal reception
*^ of Teletext pages and enabling
^ ^ \ '^°^ '° download a large range
^ Oi^ of free software.
^'^ PRICE £225.00
'*>«>
v",
-^^r^^
^ MICROMAH
computers
ACORN SPECIALIST
COMPUTER CENTRE
ACORN PRICES
Acorn Electron 199.00
Electron Plus 1 Interface 59.90
BBC Model B 399.00
BBC Model B + DFS 469.00
BBC Model B + Econet 446.00
BBC Model B + DFS + Econet 516.00
Acorn Teletext Receiver 225.00
Acorn Prestel P.O.A.
Acorn 6502 2nd Processor 199.00
Acorn Z80 2 nd Processor 299.00
Acorn IEEE hiterface 325.00
Bitstick 375.00
Econet System P.O.A.
A-B Upgrades 95.00
DFS Upgrade 95.00
Econet Upgrade 70.00
Speech Synthesizer 55.00
View ROM 59.80
ViewsheetROM 59.80
BCPLROM 99.65
6502 SECOND PROCESSOR
The 6502 second processor will allow
the BBC fo run faster with greatly
increased memory especially in high
resolution graphics modes giving
users more power when writing their
own programs and access to a range
of exciting new programs such as the
programs that drive the Bitstick.
PRICE £199.00
BITSTICK
This superb menu driven graphics
package allows high quality CAD at a
very modest price allowing the user
to create shapes on the screen and
produce outstanding graphics, archi-
tects drawings etc.
PRICE £375.00
IEEE INTERFACE
A full implementation of the IEEE
standard, providing computer con-
trol compatible scientific and techni-
cal equipment.
PRICE £325.00
ACORN APPROVED SERVICE CENTRE
Our workshop offers a comprehensive service including
Repairs and Upgrades by our own engineers
EDUCATIONAL & INDUSTRIAL ENQUIRIES WELCOME
All prices include VAT, Post & Packing £9 (Large itenis)
£1 (Small items ROM's etc)
RAINFORD INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, MILL LANE. RAINFORD,
ST HELENS, MERSEYSIDE
PHONE 074488 5242
S
16
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
4V4H.
P^LY
I
^fitc'
',&.,
f^OMPum
no room i
1*0 12s
f^ STAND
198
th,
•sa«
Solve your problems in 5 minutes with the,, .
M
Features include. . .
• PROVIDES 20K OF USABLE RAM
• ALLOWS THE RUNNING OF PROGRAMS
UP TO 28K LONG IN ANY SCREEN MODE
• RAVEN 20ISCOMPATABLE WITHAtL
CORRECTLY WRITTEN SOFTWARE
• SIMPLE PLUG IN AND GO DESIGN
1 • SPECIAL COMMANDS FOR
m
SOFTWARE WRITFRS
.COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT TO BBC
OPERATING SYSTEM
NO SOLDERING OR CUTTING OFTRACKS
USES ONLY DOCUMENTED MOS CALLS
LOW POWER DYNAMIC RAM DESIGN -fMANUAL
SELF TEST FACILITY
COMPLETE WITH ROM BASED SOFTWARE
CAN BE FITTED TO BBC MODEL B FITTED WITH OS 12
THE ULTIMATE IN Lsni.v
DESIGN ftPRICErH?^
i i
T SAVILLE ROAD WESTWOOD PETERBOROUGH PES 7PR- TEL 0733 260930
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
17
NEWS
I
More elbow to
Beeb's power
GRAPHICS tablets seem lo be
this year's favourite periph-
eral, especially with schools,
and at least three rival ver-
sions will be on display at the
show.
The CTS Professional
tablet -the most expensive-
uses a magnetic tablet and
pen to give a resolution of
0.25mm and a high degree of
linearity and accuracy. To
exploit the tablet to its full, a
software package called
CADPAK-D lets you scale,
zoom and rotate drawings,
and reproduce common
shapes. The tablet costs about
£630, plus £55 for the CAD soft-
ware.
Much less expensive at just
£50 is the graphics tablet from
Reekie Technology, The
Image Plotter both resembles
and works like the traditional
drawing pantograph arm used
for tracing drawings and pho-
tographs. Scientific Systems
has a similar product, the
Tarren Digigraph Plotter,
which !tselIsfor£91.
Confusingly, the word plot-
ter is used to describe both
input and output devices, Par-
fitt Electronics' DP025 Plotter,
reviewed on page 147, falls
into the latter category. Using
commands similar to BBC
Basic's DRAW and MOVE, and
cheap fibre-tip pens, it can plot
complex shapes and diagrams
on paper. Alternatively the pen
can be replaced by an opto-
sensor, and drawings can be
scanned and displayed on the
screen. The basic plotter costs
£270.
The Droid Factory's £400
robot arm was covered in last
month's preview and Commo-
tion will be showing its Beasty
Arm, It has all the features of
its big brothers for £30.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Elk gaps plugged
As an economy version of the
BBC micro, the Electron has
several shortcomings. The
lack of a joystick port, tor
example, is a serious omis-
sion in a home computer, and
several companies have been
quick to plug the gap.
Sir Computers has pro>
duced a PrintStick interface
which, as well as letting you
use joysticks with the Electron,
also gives it a Centronics
printer socket. You can take
one away at this year's Acorn
User Show for just £39.95 -a
saving of £5 over the normal
price. First Byte Computers
will be selling a 'no-frills' joy-
slick interface for £24.95.
Both joystick ports are for
digital switch-type joysticks
such as the Atari, rather than
the analogue potentiometer
version which Acorn markets.
If you want to use joysticks
with a program, you should
first find out which kind it uses.
Electron owners also com-
plain at the lack of mode 7
graphics on their machine. Sir
Computers has come up with
the first mode 7 adaptor, a
demonstration version of
which will be unveiled at the
show. You won't be able to buy
one there, but when they go on
sale they should cost well
under 100.
HOW TO GET THERE
Olympia 2 is the new exhibition centre next lo the old Olympia,
Earl's Court. It has it's own Tube station and three others are
close by. Bus routes 9, 27, 28, 33, 49, 73 and 91 pass the door,
and there's car parking.
Phloopy firms up
The Phloopy Data Storage
System, first launched in
March but not seen since, will
receive its first real public
airing at the Acorn User Show.
It offers the same storage
capacity as a single disc
drive - 100k - yet costs only
e99.
Using a continuous loop of
magnetic tape, the Phloopy
offers a typical access time of
ihree to four seconds.
Although not as fast as a disc
drive, this is an obvious im-
provement on normal cassette
;apes.
The unit costs £99 plus £26
for the BBC interface and can
The 100k Phloopy continuous tape
storage system goes public at the
show. It costs £99.
be bought at the Show from Phi
Mag Systems, This company is
based at the Tregoniggie
Industrial Estate, Falmouth,
Cornwall TR1 1 4RY. Tel: (0326)
76060.
Mouse to go
iconographic
MORE details have emerged
on the revolutionary AMS
Mouse, first announced In last
month's AU. It has three but-
tons on top which, along with
the four-way movement, can
be programmed to replace up
to seven conventional keys on
the keyboard.
No applications software is
yet available, but AMS has
developed basic routines to
show how it can be used. The
control software is held on a
ROM chip and, at its simplest,
enables the mouse to move a
cursor on the screen, replac-
ing cursor keys or joystick-
Other software has been
developed that speeds up pro-
gram editing and similar tasks
and includes a routine to work
with the Weivwordprocessor.
Perhaps the most exciting
development for the mouse Is
'icon' software. Anyone who
has seen Apple's Lisa or
Macintosh will recognise
icons as the symbolic screen
drawings which represent dif-
ferent functions. For example,
moving a file from a filing, cabi-
net icon to a waste-paper bin
icondeletesafile!
AMS is hoping software
houses will incorporate icon
routines into their programs,
and its aim is lor an integrated
mouse package of graphics,
spreadsheet and WP.
"On-board"
mkropriKcssor,
Nine track
"hvlc-wide"head.
I'apc drivu
pinJIe.
Prudsion ground rubber
pressure roller.
PMLOdPV look
eariridge. sho\\'ii not \'ei
pushed fully home.
Twelve foiH liinjslodpof
tape freely packed inin
c^irtrjdge.
A 1 00k BBC-drive for £99 + VAT
We've done it! We've built a storage system for your
BBC Micro with the power and convenience of a
floppy disk drive, at a fraction of the price. Interface
to the BBC costs £26 + VAT and runs up to 8 drives.
PHLOOPVs special secret
PHLOOPY does not record on a
disk, but on a loop of quarter-inch
tape contained in a rugged
interchangeable cartridge.
TheheartofPHLOOPYisa
unique "byte-wide" magnetic head,
that gives it its speed by recording nine tracks
across the tape. Typically, you can access a file in
only 3 or 4 seconds.
If you're used to waiting for a cassette tape to
trundle programs into your BBC, you'll be amazed
at PHLOOPY's performance - up to 100 times faster.
Talking to your PHLOOPY
PHLOOPY's own software makes it
respond to standard BBC filing
system and Basic commands.
Programs written to run on
disk or cassette should
run on PHLOOPY
without problem.
And because vour
PHLOOPYdrive
contains its own
microprocessor - a second computer which does
most of the hard work- it puts very little load on the
BBC. The on-board computer also checks and
automatically corrects any read errors.
Your PHLOOPY Library
PHLOOPY cartridges
hold a fulllOOk of data. You
can buy blank cartridges for
£3.75 each plus VAT. Many BBC
programs will be available on PHLOOPY.
Phi Mag Systems Ltd. PO Bo.\ 2 1 ,
Falmouth, Cornwall TRll 3TD Tel: (0326) 76040
Order Form
• PIfasc send me tunhcr deiaiis jbuLil ihe l»HIiX)PY lOOk daia
storage system for the BBC- Model B .
•Please send mc ( qtv ) PHI .( >( )V\ starter pack( s ) for my BBC
Model B microcomputer, including Pi IIA)0PY drive, BBt:
interface, leads, connections, operating svsiem in lirmvvare, manual,
and two PHI .OOPV look cartridges, at 047.75 each including VAT,
postage and packing. Amouni t
•Please send me ( qty ) packs of 5 PHLOOPY cartridges at i; 19,75
including VAT, posiage and packing. .Amount C
lencioseaehequcPOror C_
.\ccess card Number;
OR Please debit niv
Your order will be acknowledged within 10 days, giving a deliver.' dale.
Name
Address.
Town;
_Posi code-
Send rhis coupon to; Phi Mag Svstems I ,id . PO Bo-\ 2 1 , 1-'almout h.
t:ornwallTRll3'm. Telephone; Falmouth (,0326j 76040.
14day monev-back option. AU 9
Technomatic
TORCH aNICORN
Designed with a total expansion capability
The Torch upgrade will give you a sophisticted business/profes-
sional syslern However it doesn't stop there — it gives you the
potential to expand — an expansion that no other current system
can ofler. Today, (not promises of 'one day'!), we are able to offer
Hard Disc capability, networking of up to 254 machines, right up
io the extra processing power of a 68000 32bit processor with
256K RAM, and optional UNIX operating system. The potential is
here! The TORCHNET system, (software is included with all
systems!)- is a cost-effective method of linking office computing
equipment in a simple and expandable fashion, TORCH means
communication, whether it is inler-room communication,
automatic home to-office' communication, or electronic mail
allowing a Torch user to initiate telex transfers, send tele-
messages, use Electronic Mail [e.g. Telecom Gold), and talk to
large mainframes. — The potential is here! Hardware is of no use
without a suitable range of soltware. and the Torch can choose
IroiTi a massive range of business, financial, application and
language software. (Did you know that theTorch system has five
limes mote soflwate available for it than the IBM PC!) Why not
contact us tor yx)ur requirements?
TORCH Z80 DISC PACK
The proven upgrade lor the BBC Micro. Comprising 2x400K disc
rlnve 280 [ rocessor with 64K of memory, and a CPIM compatible
■jperaiinq .i/slern The system is supplied complete with the
PERFECT -.oflA^dre range including PERFECT WRITER. PERFECT
SPELLER PERFECT CALC. and PERFECT FILE. Full TORCHNET
soliwaro i;j dlso supplied allowing sophisticated networking between
other units and Z80 Basic. Disc Pack E699 (a).
GRADUATE
IBM PC Compatible Upgrade for BBC B
Ask tor delivery date
rue TORCH Z80 SECOND PROCESSOR CARD — for those who
rflteady have suitable disc drives. The card Is supplied with ail the free
pertecl software and Z80 basic, as detailed above, presenting a very
attractive package £299.
TELETEXT
Ccnveris your BBC into a fully fledged Teletext Terminal. In addition to
normal reception of Teletext pages, it is able to 'download' software as
nbW as saving standard pages on any of the four TV ctiannels. £196.
ULTRACALC
With advanced features, such as:"Handling of labels and numbers as
values, allowing the search of a list by a meaningful name, instead of
|usl a number. 'Efficient memory usage allowing large spreadsheets to
be constructed, 'Variable width columns. Facilities include Sum,
Replicate & most mathematical functions. It helps you lo create and
manipuiale 'Budgets "Cash-Flow forecasts "Price Lists 'Balance
Sheets "Time Sheets "Order Entry 'Small Databases 'Scientific
Calculations etc, E69.00.
BBC Computer & Econet Referral Centi
01-208 1177 (4 lines) Telex 922800
ACORN COMPUTER SYSTEMS
BBC V.-).-J'j: B
£320003
BBC Model B + Econei
.£389 00a
BBC Model B + DFS . .
.E4O0OOa
BBCMoaeiB + DFS + Econel
E45000a
6503 2nd Ptocessor
1 175.006
Acotn Z80 2nd Processor
t2Bl.O0a
SBC Teletext Receivei .
tl95 00a
6BC Dusl Cover
[4 00d
Pair ol JovsiicKs
£11. 70c
Aco'fi Bil Sl.ck
£3,2BD
TORCH Z80 SYSTEM
TORCH ZBO Disc Back
£699.003
TORCH Z80 2nd Piocessor Card
£299 00a
TOPCH ZHD240 20Mti
. E 1995a
UPGRADE KITS
A 10 6 Uagrade KjI
t75,00d
DFSKit E95.00 insiailaiion ei5,00
Econet Kit ... £55.00 Inslalla
or, £ffi0O
Speech Kit. £:)7 00 Insiaiiaiion tlO.OO
ECONET ACCESSORIES
Priniei Server Rom ..
i;jioob
File Server level i
. . £36 00b
File Server Level 2
£216 00b
Clock ■* 2 Termmato's
.. £95 006
Econet Usef GjiOe
ElOOOd
15 Station Lead Set
[27.00d
BBC FIRMWARE
■ 2 Operaiirig SvsterYi
f7 50d
Basic II Rom
£2200d
View Word Processor Rom
£52 OOc
Wordwise W'P Rom .
£34.00c
BCPL ROM * Disc .
£87 0Gb
Disc Doctor Ulihiy Rom... .,, ,.
m.QOa
TetiTii Emulaicr Ram ...
, t28 00d
ULTRACALC Rom (BBC Publications!
£5S[)0c
Gremlin debug 'om ,. ., .. .
EZSOOd
Comoutef Concepts GrapniCs Rom
EZaoOd
EXMON .. ..
£20000
TOOL I^IT
i20.00d
Prinimasier RrmiFXBD)
£28.00a
Communicator Rom
£59 00c
COMMSTAfl
E29 00D
BBC ANCILLARY HARDWARE
EPROM P-ogrammer
, £69 00b
Smanmouih Speech Synrhesiser
i37O0b
RH Light Per\
£39 50b
■Time-Wa'p'fleaiTime
Clock.'Caienoa'
£2900D
ACORN IEEE inierlace ANKOl .
£282 00c
BuijBo* Modem
t69 00D
A(.om Prestsi Adapici
m Kt
PRINTERS SPLOHERS
EPSON Fx-ao
,. £325 OOfl
EPSON RX-BO FT
£240 00a
EPSON FXIOO. .. .
.£480 003
EPSON DX-100...
.£375 DOa
Printer Share * Cable Set . .
.. ESa.OOc
JUKI 6 100 Daisy wheel
£350.008
BROTHER HR15
E350.00a
Accessories.
■Parallel or Serial Primer Lead
. EBOOd
Serial Pnnlet Lead
..ESOOd
Epson Serial Interface 2K SHS
E50 00C
FX80 Djst Cover
E4 00d
Epson Paper Roll Holder
E'/'Xc
FX-80 Tractor Anaclimen!
EJ7 00c
PAPER Fanfoia 20O0 sbeeis
£l3M)b
Ribbon MXaO/RXSO/FXao
£6.50c
RibDon MX/RXiFXiOO
El 2,50c
Gemini Dena 10
£300 DOa
Grafpad Grapmcs Tablet
£120 00c
Graphics Plolier/Worksiation ...
E490.00a
Basic Ploiler
£270 00a
PSU12 .. ..£4500.. .. PSU2il
£7900
Power Adaptor CaDle
. £4 50
Software on disc
£350
Drme' Router £79 00 Opio Sensoi
E7200
COLOUR/GREEN MONITORS lleaOs indd)
Mic'Qviiec M31 U" RGBStd Res
£195 00a
Micravilec i431 14" RGB'PAL -t Sound
£225 00a
ti^icroKitec 1451 14" RGB Med Res
£295 00a
Uicrovilec 1441 14' RGB Hi Res
£420 00a
Microviiec 2031 14'" RGB Sid Res
£28' 00a
KAGA Vision II Hi Res .
£260 00a
KAGA Vision III 12" RGB Super Hi Res
£358 00a
KAGA !2 ■ Green Hi Res
£106 00a
SANYO OU3I12CX 12' Green Hi Res
£99 00a
KAGA RGB Lead
. £6 50a
BNC Green Screen MoniLor Lead ..
E300a
Heavy duly monitor Dimth for BBC ..
£13 50b
Two lier meta' plinth
£19 50b
Microuiiec plinth
. £8 SOD
Swivei base 'or Kaya Green
£19 500
BBC COMPATIBLES 5,25" DISC DRIVES.
lAli include cables, rnanual + formal diSO)
100K i40 Track Teac ,.
,£120 00a
i0OK(40Trackiw>ihpsuTec
.[13500a
2D0K i40fe0 Iracki Teac
Ei55 00a
200K(BOT'ack)wilhpsuTec
£ 175.00a
40OK (40(80 Trai;K.. Teac . ..
E 190 00a
400K (80TDS) witfi psu Mitsubishi
£200 00a
2x iOOKi40Trackivii|h psu Teac .
£300 00a
2 X 200K (40(80 Tracki wiin osu Teac
£390 00a
2 X 400 iSaTrack DSl witn psu 40(80
£420003
V Hiiach. 100K Drive
£:50 0Cc
ALL PRICES EXCLUDE VAT. Please add caiTiage 50p
PRINTERS
We tiave a range of printers thai will
meet most requiremenls
EPSON — the high quality dot-mainx
)rinters thai set the standard in ihe
industry— versatile printets that provide
the optimum in performance & reliability
The RX80/FT provides all standard
pnnling S graphic iLtncIions (single
sheets & perforated paper), with the de-luxe FX80 giving in addition proportional
printing, italics, programmable characters etc The FXlOO also allows the use of
15" wide paper Epson DX100— a new daisy wheel has the hallmark of Epson s
quality performance and reliability. The JUKI and BROTHER daisywheels provide a
quality normally found in printers costing far more Printer cables interfaces
ribbons, paper etc. are all normally available from slock
GRAPHICS PLOTTER/WORKSTATION
Equally at home in the artists studio, hubbyisis workshop, science laboratory,
classroom, and production floor, this system has something to offer everyone
The 3-colour graphics plotter provides both precision and versalHily The
carriage can be moved withanacuracy of 0.025cm.over an A4aiea — the plotter
being able lo accept paper and far thicker materials al sizes of up lo A3 The
basic colour plotter carries three colour pens each ot which is software
selectable.
Various add-ons greatly Increase the versatility ot Ihe unit, while still retaining
the units accuracy. The servo controlled driliyrouter, and a scrlber enables
drilling, cutting and scribing in various materials A unique Op to Sensoriusing a
Hewlett Packard Device) turns the plotter into a high resolution scanning
digitiser to read and store whole diagrams, for example for use m map work.
This unique versatile Workstation is supplied complete al E490, Basic Plotter
E270.
Technomatic
Oiiriii il('|)lli Nhiiks Muw 11^ Id i>ll'('riiTiii)i'iliul('(lk-li>iTii's cm iiiH'-) il('i)i> jnil miriiiin iv [ii tinintli' llu- In^l ;|iuikihlt'
[iniilmi- ji ('cllllfH'lilitl,-p^ltl'^. In addilliiii hi iht ilom* liilal :ilnm' «»■ i;irr> lAli-iisi^islinliMil; tiiiiniilnr*, iminir-
iiir ii^M'iiiWn"., iiimiHifiinis iiii'liiiliri>> I Ii s. ( \H)S. U V\Is, 1 t'HOM- :iml ( I'l s. S|wrt-N t"r ihi- IIIW loiniiiiUTs
^irc iioniiiilti :n;iil;ilik' Iriiiii M-nk. Orilirs Iniin i;.m'riiim-iH <lf|j;irlimiil>.. jinlilit Imilii-. liiis|iiluU. mIiiiiiK. iiilk'ni-N,
iiniMTsiiK-. mill rafiuniscd I'l.* ^ "rlniini'. Ui' siu'iiiilivi' in «i>rl(l «iilc ivjinr^. Nu \ \l on lAifiiri-.. Our '>|iiTiull>
tH'U"li:ilcil tri'it;IUcli;irm-NliiitT;in> fimrilrii'vcii-iirv IIH'i-fhfi>iiiiTfiiiisJi!i'r:ililf-iiiiii!;Miii iliLir^i*.
20
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Everything you need for your BBC Computer
Plus friendly service and professional advice
Attessoiies
Suisse Disc CaOie ffiOOa
DouWe Disc Caoie £8 50d
3M DISCS with lifetime Warranty
WSS'SD PIv! 0' 'C E15,0OC
iODSi'OD . PK! ot 10 E3200C
eoTssiDo PMoi 10 . .. . raooc
BOTDSi'DD .PtaoflO . i:3000c
y DcuWe Siued DiSC Eac^ W.SOc
FLOPPiCLENE Onve Heaa Cleaning Kn Ei4.50c
Disc Lioiary Case E' 90t)
Dist; File Case 30.'JQ tS.OOc
Disc LOwaDie Case 30(^0 I'SOOc
Di5c .ockaM Case 60.'70 EaJOOb
EPROHS:
2764-3 E6.50
2712B-3 £21-00
SOFTWARE:
ACORN MERLE BUSINESS SOFTWARE
Ifivo'ting Slocis Control Accounts Pa/aoie.
Ascwnis ReceivaOle Oroei Processing
Mfli^iria Sysiei' .. .£acn £2265tl
GEMINI BuSiness-Fuil Range
iCORMSOFTFuli Ranae
ACORN LANGUAGES iiicioUins BCL LISP
SPascal DiK tl73M
BGPL "alcuiaiicins Disc £l7 30il
FORTH wiiri Manuals
SBCSOFTFjii Ranga
PROGRAM POWER'Fijii Range
6EE6UGS0FI Fgh Range
li'iycwin Spei'decK Disc £'6.50o
Dfi.-': S116 50a
SiiPfhOi £16500
Masit'Me iDaliiDasei fi5.50rt
leieie^l Paci* iMooe 7 G^amcsi ti6.^0a
flepirua II iio.aoa
CASSETTE RECORDERS:
5AH10 DR '01 Data Hecoia^' £30006
dim S'"^ bne EJOOOc
B8C Taae Retoroei £28 SOD
Cdssetle Leaa - £3000
Ciimauier Graae C-12 tasselle £0 46d
Comnuiei dade C^elle lO cl^ £4.00c
PftiiiDS Mini-3aia casserie £3 OOa
BOOKS 1140 VATi p&p El .SOIbook
Lr' vcui BBC lea;;'- U '■:■ R-xrrw £:) 50
BBC Vic'o Re.iaiec LSOO
100 P'Qcams io( ;ne BBC £695
30 Hour Basic ■ ■ £5,95
35 Eaucational Progs - ..£6 95
5502 Applications £9.^5
6502 Assemtjly Lang Pfogramming .. . . £12.95
6502 MiCode lor Beginners .. . .£5.95
6309 Assembly Lang Progranrmng . ... £1395
AOvanceo Prog Teen for BBC. , £7 95
AdvanceU 6502 ^'0 25
Advanced User Guide £12.50
Assemniy Lang Pro on [he BBC .... £7 95
Assemoiy Lang for Ifie BBC £795
AssemDIy Lang P'og loi Electron . . . £4.00
Assembly Lang Programming Biinbaum . ...£8.95
Basic Prog on the BBC Ciyei £5 95
BBC Basic . . £5 95
BBC Basic for Beginners £5.95
BBC Micro tor Beginners £695
BBC Micro Disk Companian £696
BBCMiao Eipert Gmae £6 95
BBC Micro Grapnicsi Sound.. . . £6.95
BBC Micro m Education .. £5.50
BCPL UserMahjal £1500
Beyond Basic £?25
Crealing AOi-enlure PrOgs £6 35
Creaiive Grapmcs . £^50
DlVRorjoncsi Sensors £6 95
Discovering BBC M'Cooe £6 95
Forth - £7 50
Friendly Computer Book £695
Graphics on ihe BBC Micro £6 95
Grapns & Cnarls . £? 50
inierfacing the 6502 .. £10 95
Intra SBC Micro £5 96
LISP £?.50
Mailing MjSic on the BBC Compuler . .,,. £5,95
Micro Basic Sound Graph Ci . ..£7.%
MOS Memory Data Book . £3.95
Prog me BBC Micro £6 50
programming the 6502 £995
P'ograrnming Ihe 6809 . £'135
Programming ine 3O86.'0D86 £10.95
Programming ihe BBC . £6 50
Programming Ihe Z80 £995
Slarl Prog wiin Electron £5.00
Structured Programming .. £650
The Elecnon Book .. £7 95
TORCHZaODiscPackUserGu.de £10.00
TTLDalaBoohVoM . , £9 00
HLDaiaBookVoi.; £o50
BBC User Guide £15 »
Using BBC Basic . £t000
Using Floppy Disks £695
Usina the 6502 AssemDIy Lang . .. £14 50
ZBO Aopiications Book .. £i095
»p unless indicated as follows: (a) £8 (b)£2.50 (c)£1.50 (d)£1.00
PRINTMASTER ROM FOR THE FX80
Ttiis sophisucaied prmler handling ROM will support the Epson MX, RX and FX
ranged pnnlers, and includes many useful features. You no longer need several
pfinler ROMS as this cne does it all!'. PRINTMASTER will dump in all modes.
Three types ol screen dumps are available, the most flexible being 'GDUMP
which operates in any graphics mode, displaying the colours as shades. Any part
of the screen can be printed at any position on the paper in any one ot the four
orientations. The dump can be magnified by any lector x 2, x3, x4 etc. A
special feature allows true fvlode 7 screen dumps with TELETEXT text and
graphics, colours (as shades), double height etc. 'TDUMP allows any text mode
to be dumped and 'FDUMP will print contents ol a file on disc while the com-
puler can be doing other things. The 'DEFINE function allows the user to define
his own characters and Ihe facility to save Ihem, Comcnands can be
called from Basic programs and language ROMS. All for only £28 (c).
VIEW PRINTER DRIVER
FOR EPSON FX80
This printer driver will enable the user to fully exploit the potential of Ihe highly
versatile Epson FXSO printer making text presenlation both impressive and
attractive.
A choice of 12 HT code options covering the full range of FXSO's fonts is made
available to the user One of the options allows the user to call up the user
delined characters stored in the printer buffer. However, the most powerful
feature of Ihe driver is Usability tooifer the use of multiple HT codes in the same
piece of text.
The booklet suplied with the driver includes illustrative examples and shows
how to prepare and store formats for frequently used documents.
Supplied on disc £7.00(c)
MAILOKDKK rO; 17 Buriile> Road. London NW'II) n;i>
(Trl:U1-'ZflK1177(4lmesl
SHOPS AI:NW l.ondou: ISBiinili-j Ui>ad. London \\MfMKI>
(l)nllMlill ^ 2ininsHiilk.Liitipli'C;irp>irkintispuii<l
Wi-\lI.ondon:JI)5Idu"ii"Hoad,lr.nil.iriW2. kl; (H-7I.lfl23.1
(Ni'ar MjiHurc Uoad ^ I
DISC DRIVES
A full range ol disc drives fitted with quality Japanese slimline
mechanisms, (such as TEAC, MITSUBISHI etc.) are supplied ready to
connect to your BBC. and come complete with necessary cables.
formatting disc, manual etc. TEAC & fvllTSUBISHl mechanisms can
operate in single and double density modes. The swilchable disc drives
give the user flexibility, by allowing access to both 40 & 60 Track discs.
We have a full range of diskettes, variety of disc storage cases, disc-
drive cables. The Floppiclene head cleaning kit is the
ideal way to ensure optimum performance ot your drives. The use of
disposable cleaning discs eliminate the risk ol reconlamination and
abrasion, and ensure continuous data capture and transmission.
SCOTCH 3M FLOPPY DISCS
We now stock the high performance yet economical 3M range. Due to
advanced production techniques, a higher standard has now been
reached, enabling Scotch to guarantee error free performance for life.
NEW ACORN PRODUCTS:
' We can now supply the following recently released ACORN
■fr products from stock,
Z80 Second Processor E264(a)
6502 Second Processor E175(b)
Bit Stick E328(b)
' Ptestel Adaptor E99(b}
ACORN IEEE INTERFACE
A full implementation of Ihe IEEE-488 standard, providing computer
control of compatible scientific & technical equipment, at a lower price
than other systems. Typical applications are in experimental work in
academic and industrial laboratories. The interface can support a net-
work of up to 14 other compatible devices, and would typically link
several items of test equipment allowing them to run with Ihe optimum
ot efficiency. The IEEE Filing System ROM is supplied. £282.
VIDEO DIGITISER
Supplied complele with integral power supply, and ROM based soft-
ware. It interfaces with the computer via the IMhzbus. A signal supplied
from any standard video camera/recorder will provide a high quality pic-
ture, with eight different grey scale levels. The friendly yet sophisticated
menu-driven software comes complete wilh an Epson printer dump.
£21 8(a)
MONITORS:
MICROVITEC— a range ol British Made DTI/ACORN Approved
Std/Med/Hi-resolution RGB colour monitors that have a consistent,
reliable performance. Also available in RGB/PAL/SOUND versions. The
KAGA range provides a similar performance in 12' screen format. Our
Japanese manufactured Hi-Res green screen SANYO is an ideal solu-
tion lor high clarity SO column text display The KAGA green screen,
wit hits 'chemically etched' anti-glare screen for the discerning user. All
monitors are supplied with suitable leads at no extra charge.
GRAFPAD
A low cost graphic-tablet offering the performance and durability re-
quired for the business, industrial and educational user, it is small, ac-
curate & reliable. Working area: 240 x 192mm -f Menu area. CAD pro-
gram £120(9)
Continued on page 22
Technomatic Ltd.
All |)ria'-iAihnIiiytriaj;f X \ \ I . I*Ii-;im' mid tarriam- as imliiaicil and
a<ld 15" II V \l lo till' liilal orders aim-, lor lasidcliMM ti-li'|ilioni->oiir
order i|iii>lin)i \ IS.-\ or.Aci'i'sscurd nr oil kiat order monlicr
Minlniiiiii l(lii)lionii>rclir£5(.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
21
TFr^WXrniVyf a xir^ ^^^ Computer & Econet Referral Centre
^^'^"^^^^^^^^'^ 01-208 1177 (4 lines) Telex 922800
EPROMER II
Our current version of Ihe highly popular Eprom pro-
grammer IS now being enrianced 1o provide more and
betterfacilitiesforeasy programming by the user- The
software will maintain its superiority over all currently
available similar programmers. The range of eproms
handled has been widened, to include
the eproms with lov^rer programming voltage and
eproms which can be programmed using the fast
algorithm. Control of all operations has been moved to
the keyboard The screen display has been improved
to give more information. The screen editing facilities
have also been modified to simplify the data entry.
Preliminary information
The new Eprom Programmer witl now program 2516, 2532 2564
2716, 2732, 2764, 271 26 and 27256 + 5v eproms.andall bul the 27256
in a single pass.
The programmer will be supplied with miegral power supply and in-
lerlaces wilh the BBC via the iMHz bus it rs tully buffered and com
plies with Acorn protocols There is no power dram trom the com
puler
No knobs or switches to (iddle with — total control Irom Itie
keytioard
FullV soltware driven with easy to understand inslruclions
□ isplayed on the screen
Eprom type selectable trom Itie keyboard
Selectable programming vollage 25i'21;'12 5V
Defaults to normal programming with high speed algorithmic pro
gramming selectable, lor a device with suitable capability.
Continuous screen display ol eprom type, option and address range
selected
Full screen editor with HEX or ASCII Input. Constant display of
logical eprom address.
Can read bianK check, program and verify at any address/ad
dresses on the eprom
Full TapeJOisc tiling lacilily.
Several basic programs can be eniered on a single eprom and called
up with rndividuai name
GEMINrS DATAGEM
The Definitive Random Access, 24K ROM based Database
Management System
This is the first truly flexible database for the BBC micro which
will have an application to offer in almost any fieltj one can
imagine,
'The file size is almost unlimited (Maxm,
10 Mbytes
'System will support up to 4 drives
•fylaxm. No. of records/file: 5000
'Maxm, record size6K
*Maxm. No, of fields 62.
'9 level hierarchical search system with
facilities to store results of searches.
Searches can be any one of the following
Search. Include, Exclude. Combine.
Common or Difference.
£112.00 + £2 carriage
EPROM ERASERS
UV1T Eraser with built-in timer
and mains indicator. Built-in safety
interlock to avoid accidental
exposure to the fiarmful UV rays.
It can handle up to 5 eproms at a time
witti an average erasing time of about
20mins. £S9 + E2p&p,
UV1 as above but without the timer,
£47 + £2p&p.
%B\NTEB
'TIME-WARP'
REAL-TIME-CLOCK/CALENDAR
A low cost unit that opens up the total range of Real-Time
applications. With its full battery backup, possibilities include
an Electronic Diary, continuous display of 'on-screen' time and
date information automatic document dating, precise timing &
control in scientific
applications, recreational
use in games etc — its uses
are endless and are simply
limited by one's
imagination. Simply plugs
into the user port — no
specialist instaliation
required — No ROMS,
Supplied with extensive
applications software.
Please phone for details.
£29,00 + £2.50 carriage.
SMARTMOUTH
The original 'infinite speech'
Still the best.
A ready built totally self contained speech synthesiser unit attractively
packaged with built-in speaker, AUX output socket etc — no
installation
problems! It allows the creation of any English word, with both ease
^"^ simplicity, while, at the same time being
^^"^y . economical in memory usage. You
can easily atj^j speech to most existing
programs ^^.^^.^^ssS^^SStm Due to its remarkable infinite
vocabulary,
whole
applications
commercial,
recreational etc.
no need
plugs into
due to the
its uses spread throughout the
spectrum of computer
— these include industrial,
educational, scientific,
No specialist installation —
to open your computer, simply
the the user port — and
simple software, no ROMS are needed.
SMARTMOUTH is supplied with demo and develo'pment programs on
cassette, and full software instructions. £37 + £2.50 carriage.
BUZZBOX
This is a full specification, direct connect modem, with
both Originate and Answer modes, allowing access to
the many databases, bulletin boards, as well as inter-
computer communications. The modem conforms to
the international CCITT V21 300/300 Baud standard
(NOTE: Not suitable for PRESTEL), Having full BT
Approval, it connects directly to the telephone line, for
optimum performance. Being battery powered, it is
totally portable {optional power supply available), £69.
BBC Lead £3.50. External PSU £8.00.
BEEBUGSOFT
A professional range of Firmware/
Software to suit both the advanced
programmer and the user. From the
well known 'EXMON' and
TOOLKIT to the
WORDWISE
SPELLCHECK,
MAIL OKDKKS TO: [7 Hiirnlc> Road. Limdim \U 10 IKI)
(Tef: 0I-20H 1 177 U ItnesJ Telex 922800)
SHOPS AT: N\V l.<mclon: 15 Biirnle> Rr)ad. L*md<in NW 10 IKI)
(Dollit Hill 2 mins walk, ample tar parking spaect
Wrsi London: Mi5 Kdc^are Hoad. London \\2. Tel: 01-723 0233
(Near Lduware Koad I
tf^TJs
Technomatic Ltd.
-Ml prkcs e\eliide carriage X \ AT . Please add carriase as indiealed and
add I5"'(i \ ,\T lo ihe loial order \aliji'. hor lasl deli\er> lelephone >oiir
order guoling \ ISA or \tiess lard or otikial order niimher
(Minimum lelephone order £5l.
22
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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B-BASE: £25—8 Great Features
WHAT IS A DATABASE?
It is a FILE which contains RECORDS,
Records consist of a number of FIELDS
containing the Information — an analogy can
be drawn with a card index in which a box of
cards IS the file. Each card is a record and
each line on the card is a field.
SPECIFICATION
1) Random Access— disc based, single or
dual drives
2) File Size-99K (40 track). 199K (80 track)
—65.000+ records
3} Record Size— up to 2048 characters and
200 fields
4) Field Size— up to 254 characters w'th
complete line scanning
5) Access any record using Primary Key in
2 seconds
6) Holds- 1200 NAMES AND ADDRESS
records on lOOKdisk
7) Search— 500 records on 5 fields in
60 seconds
8) Sort— 500 records on 3 fields In
60 seconds
SYSTEM FEATURES
SEARCH PARAMETERS =X > '>= <"- (s
INSTR ^ '^ '^-K?'
CALCULATE— Global or local totals and
functions using any valid BBC expression
POWERFUL PRINTOUT OPTION —
Eliminates need for separate mailing
program, Parallel/Serial Printout allows
setting of printer control codes, line spacing,
tabulation. Headings etc, plus label printing
vi/ith horizontal and vertical tab control.
REDEFINE— Titles, field widths, number of
fields etc.
TRANSFER— Records fromone file to
another
SEARCH LISTS— Allow creation of sub-
Databases within main Database but
without having to save data again
DATE FORMATS— 6 formats for print out
All timings and sizes are relative to ACORN
DFS, Compatible with ACORN DFS,
WATFORD 1.3 and latest AMCOM DFS,
Send S.A.E. for detailed data sheet
AD Disc Software now
available on 3" disc-
add £3 to printed prices
REPLICA II: £12.00.
The original REPLICA set a very high
standard so the specification we set our
chief programmer included some impossible
features. In fact ACORN state that some of
the things that we have done are impossible,
it just took us longer that's all. REPLICA II
transfers most cassette based programs to
disk, even more than REPLICA, When you
buy disk drives you do not have to throw
away expensive cassette based programs
REPLICA II transfers LOCKED' programs,
programs loading as files, programs that
load below &E00. those with up to 6
sections and those up to &6E in length eg
adventure programs. No waiting for 6
minutes whilst adventure programs load.
REPLICA II is very easy to use. The user
enters a name, how many sections and
whether CHAINrRUNor "LOAD lo load the
first section. Press play and let the program
do the rest, even a menu.
Think how much it will cost you to buy just 1
disk version of your favourite program—
REPLICA II which will hold up to 16
programs limited only by the disk capacity.
OARESNQl
INUnmYSOFimRE!
The original disk utility program for the BBC
that provides the user with the tools to
explore the disk environment and use it to its
best advantage. The programs are:
1) FORM40— Formats and verifies 40 track
disks.
2) FORM80— Formats and verifies 80 track
disks.
3) BACKUP— Allows backup copies of your
valuable disk to be made.
4) EDITOR— Enables the user to read the
disk sector by sector and to alter programs
on the disk, even most protected and
unlistableones. More fun than any
adventure game.
5) RETRIEVE — Allows the user to recover
data or programs that have been
accidentally erased ordamaged by a head
crash.
Every disk owner should have one.
Recommended by: WHICH MICRO;
EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING etc.
JOYSTICK UTILITY: E6.00
Converts non joystick programs to work with
joysticks. Works with any program using
INKEY (-) in Basic or machine code, to detect
movement, which applies to most programs.
The routine is relocatable and sensitivity of
the joystick can be varied. Compatible with
most games, including Acoinsoft, Very easy
to use, just press the keys you want to
transfer. The machine code can be saved as
a block of just 100 bytes. Supplied on
cassette but can be transferred to disk.
SHADOW: £8.00
SHADOW is a tape cloning program that
makes security copies of your valuable
cassette software, SHADOW works with
99% of all known programs including those
with sections at 300 BAUD and those that
load as files, SHADOW will handle programs
with any number of sections and it will work
with any of the current operating systems
including 0,1. 1.0 8. 1 .2SHADOW Is the
definitive tape backup system and as a
bonus you also get 'INSPECTOR' on the
same tape. This allows you to view all areas
of memory, search and alter bytes, etc.
Colour coding helps to simplify memory
usage.
"It is a condition of sale that this program is
not used for piracy !'
JOYSTICKS: £17.95
BBC JOYSTICKS— Fully proportional
joysticks in smart, sturdy injection moulded
cases. 1.5 metres of cable, long life
mechanism gives precise operation, British
made.
All prices inclusive of VAT & Carriage—
NO EXTRAS!
Ifi/e'^e^iidM^M
to
24
ares
MICRO SUPPLIES
'0^.
f
AU9
98 Middlewlch Rd.,
Northwich, Cheshire CW9 7DA
Tel: 0606 46511
Open9— Spm Monday— Friday
;^OP^V#RE
DOT MATRIX PRINTERS
ALL PRIMTEnS HAVE CENTROMC PARALLEL INTERFACE UNLESS
OTHERWISE STATED ALL PRINTERS HAVE HI-RES. DOT
ADDRESSABLE GRAPHIC MODE. PLEASE SEND SAE POR
FOIL DETAILS
EPSON
l< BO 160 CPS 10' wide 're 4 uin fppd
m ino 160 CPS IS" wnW Inc i fuel leen
RXSOF'T 100 CPS IO'-wiOp Irrcl Sliacl leed
HUaiiT 100 f.PS Itr ^uje nacioi leen
LQ1500 2X1 CPS Lclto qiiodly punier
RM!) RS23 InlmlKI! lui FH nncl RX plinliWB
HMS nsZ32 IniBflflce «rih ?K biiller unn .oil
RibDOn CarMlilge Icr RXSO FXeO » MMBO
Rtnnnn Carlnctge !□[ FXlOO & UKIOO
BTHH
Cpamim lOK 130CPS. ro" lUidflrFC Slrsrlleefl
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I
COMMUNICATIONS
UNSCRAMBLING
THE AIRWAVES
Robin Mudge kits you out to decode
those mysterious radio signals
SHORT-WAVE radio listening used
to be very popular. Back in the
thirties there were almost as
many radio magazines as there are
computer magazines now. Today
modern receiver design has packed
the power of those gigantic World War
Two radios you used to be able to get in
government surplus stores into a tiny
compact portable. In this article we'll
look at how you can use a BBC micro to
untangle some of the blips and blops
picked up by this new breed of 'tran-
sistor'.
Modern short-wave radios are small
and powerful. Even the minuscule Sony
1c9600 is a full-facility receiver with the
kind of pulling power that brings in
stations from all over the world. When
you listen to one of these sets you'll
hear mixed up with the hundreds of
foreign voices a strange collection of
dots, dashes and chirping sounds. It is
these normally unintelligible signals
that are potentially the most interesting
and. using a BBC micro, you can begin
to unscramble some of them.
The big question is, why bother with
all these special codes when it is easy
these days to talk over the radio? The
trouble is that transmitting voice -
radio telephony - uses up a lot of radio
space, and there is only a limited
amount. Transmitting messages by
radio telegraphy and radio teletype
makes more efficient use of the radio
frequencies and over long distances is
more reliable. Often interference
makes voice reception very difficult
whereas telegraphic and teletype sig-
nals can still be decoded successfully.
Because of this, those blips, blops and
chirping noises often carry very
interesting messages.
Before looking at how to receive and
decode these messages a pause for
some history and explanation. Radio
telegraphy started in 1901 when Gug-
lielmo fvlarconi transmitted the first
transatlantic radio signal. He used a
dot-and-dash code invented earlier by
Samuel Finlay Morse. In the Morse
code each letter and number is repre-
sented by a series of dots and dashes:
the letter A is ■ — and C — ■ — ■.
Soon people wanted to transmit
messages faster and use machines for
automatic sending and receiving. The
Morse code couldn't be used for this
because it was difficult for a machine to
recognise where one letter ended and
the next started. Radio Teletype (RTTY)
codes get over this problem by using a
sort of binary word. Each 'word' is
made up of a number of units of equal
length. The asynchronous Baudot code
(baud) is most commonly used today.
This is made up of five data units repre-
senting alphabetic information, and
because the receiver is not synchro-
nised with the transmitter a start and
stop unit are added. Each of the five
data units can have a value of 1 or 0. In
radio terms these are called 'mark' and
'space' respectiveiy so, looking at the
five data units, an 'a' is 001 1 1 and c is
'10001'. RTTY signals are normally
transmitted at a number of different
speeds. These are 45, 50, 57, 75, 100
and llObaud.
So what do you need to turn these
codes into something readable? The
first thing apart from a BBC micro is a
short-wave radio. You don't have to
have the latest thing but you do need a
good set that must be able to receive
Single Side Band (SSB) signals. SSB
signals are another way that radio
people make better use of the available
frequencies, but they can't be received
without a special radio. All the new
generation sets have this facility.
The Icom 10 R70 is one of the top-
range sets. It costs about C550 and has
almost every facility that a short-wave
radio fan could wish for. There are a lot
of receivers between this price and
about C200 and a visit to the local ama-
teur radio shop or a glance through
some of the radio magazines will intro-
duce most of them. Two portables are
worth while considering - the Sony
ICF-7600D at about £160 and a British
one, the Uniden Communication
Receiver 2021 at about £200. Both are
full-facilities short-wave radios and
offer good reception on the FM band for
ordinary radio programmes as well.
Next is an aerial. The two portables
come with telescopic aerials but these
aren't good enough to pull in the really
distant stations. The simplest kind is a
long piece of wire (the longer the
better), either stretched from a con-
venient window to a nearby support or
hung down the side of the house. A
really neat indoor one is the Datong
Active Receiving Antenna. This is only
three metres long but because it uses
active components is very effective
TURN ON, TUNE IN, PRINT OUT
Dan Ray takes time off from work in the television studio to pursue a hobby in RTTY.
He is using a BBC micro and a short-wave radio to receive and decode radio tele-
type signals from the other side of the world. The teletype code is sent as two audio
tones.Thesetonesarefedfrom the earphone socket of the radio into a decoder that
is connected to the user port of the micro. The decoder produces a digital signal that
software running in the computer turns into text, which is displayed on the screen or
printed out as hard copy on paper.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Get ready for
FIFTH great!
UMIST, Manchester.
Friday August 31—
Sunday September 2
UMIST is where it all began - in June
1983 we held our first show, and it
attracted 12,500 enthusiastic BBC
Micro fans. The Renold Building at
UMIST is ideally situated - only 5
minutes from the BR Piccadilly
mainline station, and with plenty of
parking space.
it All your problems will be answered
at the "walk-in forum" being held
throughout the weekend. Some of
Britain's top experts on the BBC
Micro and Electron will be making
guest appearances.
i!V Everything on display at the show
will be for sale - often at special
low show prices.
ir Hundreds of new games, ^
educational and business programs,
plus all the latest hardware add-ons
for the BBC Micro and Electron -
for you to try out and buy!
EXHIBITORS INCLUDE
Acorn Computers, Advanced Memory Systems, Aries Computets,
Bucon, Cambridge Microprocessor Services, Clares Micro Supplies,
Clwyd Technics, Computer Concepts. Corn-soft, Cumana, Dynabyte
Software, Enterprise Technology Computing, Feedback Instruments,
Golem, HCR Electronic Sales, Holiday Brothers, Kansas City Systems,
MP. Software and Services, MRM Software, M.T. Direct, Mr Floppy,
Manchester University Press. Micro Aid. Micro Aids, Micropower, Micro
Simplex, Microware, Microvitec, NSC Computer Shops, National Micro
Centres, News-soft, Opus Supplies, Pace Software Supplies, Specialised
Education Software and Services, System, Universal Communications,
Video Electronics, Wglen Computers, Wiseowl Publications, Wizard
Developments.
I
I
M
"f^.>:---.fl
Reduced prices for Groups
Entry only £1 per student if bookings are made in
advance. Send your cheque (made payable to
Database Publications) and SAE to:
Electron & BBC Micro User Show
68 Chester Road, Hazel Grove
Stockport SK7 5NY. Tel: 061-456 8383
Valid for a minimum of 10 people
SAVE MONEY with our
Special Travel Offer
Visitors to the Show can obtain cut-price rail
tickets from ANY station in the United Kingdom
For full details write to:
Travel Offer, P.O. Box 1 , St. Albans ALl 4ED with SAE
or Telephone: St. Albans 34475 quoting: The Electron
& BBC Micro User Show.
'^^^s vouchee
BBC MICRO
%3^
By banding In this voucher
at the door you save 50p off
the normal admission
price of £2 (adults) and
£1.50 (children).
(Valid for a maximum of 4 people)
10am ■ 6pm. Friday, 31 August
10am - 6pm, Saturday, 1 September
10am 4pm. Sunday. 2 September
Renold Building, UMIST, Manchester.
Number aitendmq- [T] f^l [s] [4]
I
COMMUNICATIONS
1
^.
SL J
•
~
■-=
o
Bb^"
A
s
■
A
o
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*-
M
Hh
IH
■1
B9
B
^
s
^
■f^^m^avr^T^:
Icom receiver and home-buill decoder
indeed. It costs E52. There's a version
for outdoors costing £70, Both include
their own power supply.
Then comes the all-important link
between the radio and the computer:
the decoder. When you tune into an
RTTY signal it is unmistakable -it
really does sound like continuous
chirping. This is because the signal is
made up of two tones rapidly switching
from one to the other. The lower tone
represents the space, logic 0, and the
higher the mark, logic 1, This is called
Frequency Shift Keying (FSK). The dif-
ference between the two frequencies is
usually quite small on the ordinary
high-frequency (HF) short-wave band
(that is, between 150 and 30,000 KHz).
The two frequencies are 85 and 170
Hertz. On the FM band they are 30 and
220 Hertz, The decoder changes these
two tones into zero volts and five volts
respectively to represent the two logic
levels of the code and feeds them into
the user port of the micro.
Again, a glance through the radio
magazines shows a number of small
firms making decoders for most of the
popular micros and they supply the
necessary software to work with them.
One system is made by Scarab
Systems, whose decoder and software
costs about C70. This can accommo-
date the two different RTTY frequencies
for HF and FM short-wave trans-
missions. On the front panel are two
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) labelled
Mark and Space, These flicker on and
off in rhythm with the signal, when it is
tuned in properly. The LEDs are really
important because as you turn the
radio tuning knob the pitch of the sig-
nals varies quite dramatically and you
have no way of knowing when it is right.
Turn the knob until the lights start puls-
ing and then you know logic signals are
being sent to the computer.
The Sony ICF-7600D is a tull-lacililies short-
wave receiver costing about £160
In essence the software's job is quite
straightforward. All it has to do is detect
the start and stop bits of each word,
refer to a look-up table to find out what
character the five data bits represent
and then print it on the screen. It has to
do this quickly, of course.
Scarab's software is very nice. The
documentation is clear and easy to use.
It allows you to select a baud rate of 45,
75 or 100 and offers the facility for
driving an Epson printer. When every-
thing is tuned in and set properly words
suddenly appear on the screen, a very
exciting moment. If gobbledegook
starts to appear try changing the baud
rate before assuming you are receiving
a coded message. With practice you
will be able to tell what the baud rate is
CONTACT ADDRESSES
loom IC-R70 communication receiverfrom:
Thanet Electronics, 143 Reculver Road, Heme Bay, Kent.
Sony ICF-7600D from:
Sony House, South Street, Staines, Middlesex TW184PF
or any good Hi-Fi shop.
UnidenCR-2021 communications receiver from:
Lecmar Electronics, Vectis Yard, Cowes. Isle of Wight.
Datong Active Receiving Antennas from:
Datong Electronics Ltd, Spence Mills, Mill Lane, Bram ley, Leeds LS133HE.
MPTU-1 Tone encoder/decoder with software from:
Scarab Systems, 39 Stafford Street, Gillingham, Kent ME7 5EN.
RTTY computer interface from:
John Melvin. 2Salters Court, Gosforth, Newcastle.
Elektor RTTY Decoder from:
Elektor Publishing Ltd, Elektor House, 10 Longport, Canterbury CT1 1PE.
by listening to the speed of chirping.
In fact Scarab's software does more
than receive RTTY, it enables an ama-
teur radio enthusiast to prepare and
transmit messages as well, but you
have to have a licence for radio trans-
mission before you can do this.
You may experience interference
problems from the computer itself, for
the BBC micro transmits a lot of radio
frequency signals. Make sure the
aerial is as far away from the computer
as possible. If this doesn't cure the
problem you'll have to line the Beeb's
case with aluminium foil and wrap all
the external signal cables that come
out of it in the same stuff. When the foil
shield is connected to the ground it
stops the interference signals from
escaping.
The Scarab decoder is fine for 'stan-
dard' RTTY transmissions but one
marketed by Elektor magazine in kit
form gives provision for a much wider
range of frequency shifts.
Sometimes you may not be able to
resolve a signal into words at all. This
could just be because it is being trans-
mitted at a non-standard baud rate or
frequency shift, or it could be that it is
on one of the newer Teletype systems.
There are two main contenders to the
Baudot code: TOR and ASCII. The latter
uses the same FSK transmission
system but under the ASCII code. TOR
(Telex Over Radio) is a bit more compli-
cated. There are two types: ARC and
FEC. In both each data word has a
checksum included so that the receiv-
ing equipment can teli if an error has
crept into the transmission. ARC
stands for Auto Request, which means
PRESS SEWIC^
FREQUENCIES
I 6UIDET0
RIIY
I •%'<|IM.-IH.-U.-<k
Figure 1. These books listthelrequencles of
most of the agencies in the world using
RTTY
that if an error has been detected the
receiving station transmits a signal to
the sender asking for the last character
to be transmitted. This is quite complex
and requires the user to have a trans-
mitter and a receiver,
FEC (Forward Error Correction) is
simpler, it transmits everything twice
and the receiver uses only the correct
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
The Definitive 24 K ROM
based Random Access
Database Management
System for thaBBC Micro.
■^
-" .' DataGem is here! The most
comprehensive Database Management
System ever written for the BBC Micro,
^allowing up to 5100 user definable
^records. Facilities are also included for
^.interfacing with 'Wordwise' and 'View'
'word processors.
DataGem will not work with
cassette based systems and requires a
model B BBC Micro computer fitted
with at least one disk drive and
operating system 1.2 or greater. Use of
a printer is optional.
Write to or telephone Gemini
further information, or complete the
coupon below.
.ihj,
..ailabllifv
AU
18a Littleham Road, Exmouth, Devon EX8 2QG England
AVAILABLE FROM:
LajgLT blanches o! Banls and W H Smith and mtjsl good
.software dealers or phone Gemini for immediate
despatch quoting your Access, Visa or American Enpresa
card number Telephone (0395) 265165/265832
Aiteinaiively make your cheque or Postal Order payable
to Gi?mini Marketiny Lid , and send to Gerami Marketing
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Please send urgently DataGem[s) in E12S.95.
Pnces stated include VAT and Post and Packing iUK only i
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I
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
COMMUNICATIONS
THE FM radio signals transmitted by weather satellites (see last
montti's issue, page 27) can be picked up on this AOR Com-
munications Receiver AR2001 (25-550 MHz). As well as tuning
in to most of the satellites and to RTTY, it of course receives
domestic radio broadcasts. From Lowe Electronics, Bentley
Bridge, Chesterfield Road, Matlock. Derbyshire DE4 5LE (tel:
0629 2430/2817).
Audio signals
(analogue)
D n n
RADIO
(receiver)
and 5 Volt
signals
(digital)
Text
DECODER
uaanDDnn
to user port
from earphone
socket
COMPUTER
The equipment you'll need to receive, unscramble and print out
coded messages broadcast from far-flung parts of the world:
short-wave radio (from about E160) with aerial; and decoder to
convert two-tone signals into two logic levels acceptable to the
Beeb's user port. The Scarab decoder costs about £70 including
software - or you can build your own.
USEFUL BOOKS
The Radio Society of Great Britain supplies a wide range of interesting
books, among which the following are good:
Better Short- Wa ve Reception
Complete Short-Wave Listener's Handbook
Simple Low Cost Wire Antennas
World Radio and TV Handbook
£5.83
£12.21
£7,52
£12.24
Order from; Radio Society of Great Britain, Alma House, Cranborne Road,
Potters Bar, Herts EN6 3JN.
The RSGB administers and governs all the amateur radio clubs so is a good
source ot information about becoming a radio ham.
There is also a publication from Practical IV/re/ess called Introducing RTTY.
costing £1 from: IPC Magazines Ltd, Post Sales Dept, Lavington House, 25
Lavington Street. London SE1 OPF.
OTHER BOOKS
Gu/de to flfryFreQueoc/es (2nd addition) by 01 iverPFerrel I
Confidential Frequencies List [5th e6\Uon) by OUver P FerreW
Both are obtainable from: Giffen Associates Inc, PO Box 239, 52 Park
Avenue, Park Ridge, NJ 07656, USA.
World Press Service Frequenciesby Thomas Harrington
From: Universal Electronics Inc, 1280 Aida Drive, Reynoldsburg (Colum-
bus), Ohio 43068, USA,
Uniden Communication Receiver, costing about £200. It receives long and medium wave
and VHP broadcasts as well as short-wave.
3.5B to 3.62MHz
7.035 to 7.045MHz
10.140 to10.150MHz
14.080 to 14.100MHz
Figure 2. The frequencies on which ama-
teur radio transmissions may be
received. They cover European, Russian
and African transmissions
character. Software and decoders foi
both ASCII and TOR systems are
appearing on the market.
That's the system: what do you listen
to? Well, it's fun just tuning around the
dial randomly but beware - it is actually
illegal merely to receive some trans-
missions and if you are caught there's a
possible fine of £400. You are allowed
to receive the amateur transmissions
and these can be found on the bands
listed in figure 2. The three books illus-
trated in figure 1 give the names and
frequencies of most of the agencies in
the world using RTTY so:
and happy listening.
OE RCB-55/RTU-'17(BI:E-5?'RWN-74 Dt SCH-S3'RTU-*7.R[:E-5'i/HWM-74
RVBVfiVFfVRVHyRVHyRVBVHVFIVRVBVBVRYRYHYHYRVRyRYBVRyRVBIVByfiVFIHiVRy
RVB*fiYByRYRi(fiYBYIVf(VRYRYBBIYFF"RY>1VRrVFFlRyHYRyRVRV
a/fl TOSS 5-6
SPOtt IIONEI TW3 TftlEE
JD1NI RESEARCH liCIEE QM
MQSCOW APRIL B TftSE n lABE CORHeSPQNDENT REfQRig
FROn THE MIESIOH CONTROL nENtBEi
THE INtERNfiUQhlftL CREU: LEDNTD k ] ; IH , VLflDJPIlR SOLDUYOV,
OLEG AIKOV, VIJRI HOLVSMEV, QENNHOY STBEf-ftL 0S( AMD RBKEBH 3Hftl«in
HBUE SEEN WORHHG ftBOfiBD IHE UHBl TAL CDPIPLEJ •BflLVUt-?!- --
•-snyu; t-kj- -- -sOYui: r-u- for the fuurth bby.
ft C0N3IDERBBLE PLfiCE IN TDDBY ' B PRQERflMflE IS flSSCENED TD
WEDiCOL RESEBRCHLniOED BT FURTHER STUDYING IHE EFFECT OF SPACE
FLIGHT FflCIORS QN HJITBN ORGBNian. INDICfllORS CHBRBCTER r51NQ THE
STATE OF THE CBRDIOUBBCULBR SYSTEM ARE DEtERMlMED BND THE
INTERACTION OF THE «EETlE>UUftB ftWD UfTIC SYSTEnS ORE RESEARCHED
INTO DURING THE EIPERIHENTS .6flLL [STP-Ji- BUD +OPTOt INEHIS', THE
RESULTS DF THE •FHDPHYLftI TS» AMD --VOEA^^ EKPERlnENIB WILL BE fl
HELP IN THE DEVELOP HE NT OF THE "OBT EFFECTIUE NEflNB 10 MINIMIBE
THE UNFflVnuRBBLE EFFECT OF WE IGHrLEBBNEHE.
MORE
B/0 loss ^-b
SPBCE ;■ IIUOI
WITHIN IHE fHan^UOBh Of THE PBDGRBrtME DF THE GEDPHYSICIBL
EIPERiMENI •lERRfl-' THE CREU CAHHIED OUT A HEQULBR BESSIDN OF
fHDTOGRBFHlNG THE TEHRITOBVOF IMDIA. IHE EASTERN CnOHT OF THE
HINDUSTAN PENTNSULB BNO THE IjAMGES TIELTB WERE PHOTOHRAPKEE
IDDfly.
ANOTHER EIFEBTMENT ON SPACE 5TUDY OF MfiTERlBLS OND A
TELEVISION REPORtBGE, "TN WHICH THE COSnONflUIB WILL TELL ABOUT
IHEIt UORI , ARE PLBNNEQ FOR THE BFTEfiNDQN.
BLLQBQINB ID THE RESULTS Of THE RBDID TBLk WITH THE CREU nrit!
MEDICAL CONTROL DATB, THE STBTE DF THE COSHONBUTS ' HEBLTH IS
SOOD.
IHE PROGRA""e DF SOVIET - INDIAN RESEARCH IN ^HE NEBR-EBRTH
nBBlT 15 PEINE IHT'LEHENTED SUCCESSFULLy .
ITEM ENL>!j-- +
Printout received all the way from TASS in
Moscow
ACORN USER SEPTEfVIBER 1984
1 DOUBLEtSIDED
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\
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
FIRST BYTE
ZING
WTTH IDEAS
Tessie Revivis gives Electron and
Beeb learners a flying start with an
animation program that uses sound
ONCE the computer has been in
your home for a few days and its
keyboard mastered -or at least
some confidence gained in using it-
and the Welcome cassette worn out,
the desire to produce your own pro-
gram sets in. The programming task
you set about will depend on your own
inclination: you might like to incorpor-
ate the recipe book onto a tape, the
secrets of the home brew or a pigeon-
fancier's diary and your kids-well,
Super Space Invaders Mark XI will suf-
fice. Whatever target is chosen, all pro-
grams will, surprisingly, follow essen-
tially the same general rules. In fact,
almost every program you write will in
verbal terms look a little like this:
Set all variables
Set up screen
Print information
Get information
Update items
If finished end
If not finished start again
As you can see from this list the rules
are very general, but they provide a
sound basis to expand from. The order
might vary. For example, you might
wish to set up the screen display before
setting up variables or get information
before printing any information to the
screen, and so on.
If you have read through other pages
in Acorn User {and I strongly suggest
you do even if you don't fully under-
stand-that will come in time) you'll
have come across the term 'structured'
programming, which simply means
programming with a bit of thought or
presenting your program neatly and
logically. The list above, though very
general, is an example of structured
programming: simple, clear and logi-
cal.
Lets turn our hand now to writing a
short program that uses a number of
JJ^
the facilities available on the Electron.
The program is simple, but provides
easy animation and sound and can be
stopped at any time just by hitting the
space bar. The idea is that we get a fly
to buzz to and fro across the top of the
screen and when the space bar is
pressed it crashes to the floor with a
thud!
Before starting we need to think
about our requirements. Most obvi-
ously we need the fly. To keep every-
thing nice and simple we'll use the
common or garden asterisk (*) to rep-
resent this. The easiest way to provide
animation is to use the PRINT
statement to put the asterisk on
the screen, rub it out and then
print it in the next location
along the screen, thus pro-
viding the illusion of move-
ment. To make this easier a
If^l K special print positioning
1[\^[^#? command is available in
BBC Basic. This is the TAB
(short for tabulation) command.
TAB treats the screen like a sheet of
squared paper divided into rows and
columns, the first column and first row
being at the top left hand corner of the
screen. In computer terms this is
referred to as column 0, row rather
than column 1, row 1, Instead of using
the long-winded column and row refer-
ences these numbers are placed in
brackets. For example, to print an
asterisk at column 5, row 2 (figure 1
overleaf) we would use:
PRINTTAB(5.2)"*"
To print a row of asterisks across the
top of the screen the TAB routine can
be placed inside a "loop', which counts
out the number of the columns. The
actual number of the columns depends
on the particular graphics screen
chosen; we'll use the screen mode as
this is the biggest.
The short program to do this would
be:
10MODE0
20 FOR column =^ TO 79
30 PRINT TAB (column,3);""";
40 NEXT loop
Here we have introduced a variable to
keep count of the column, and to
remind us of that fact I have called this
variable column. The term variable
implies its use. and it is really just a
counter with a name. The count vari-
able is used as one of the two values
inside the TAB command. Each time
the loop executes, column will have
one added to it so that the PRINT com-
mand will TAB to the next column. The
row count remains constant at 3 so that
the asterisks are printed side-by-side
across the screen.
The loop is controlled by line 20,
'FOR column^O TO 79', which causes
the column variable to be incremented
in steps of one from up until 79, The
incrementing process actually doesn't
take place until the NEXT command is
encountered in line 40, which makes
the computer do all the
instructions inside the
command over again,
providing of course
the variable column
has not reached the
finish value of 79.
Rubbing out each
asterisk Is performed
In a similar manner and
within the same loop. All that needs to
be done is to print a space over the old
asterisk. Add the following lines:
32 FOR delay = TO 50 : NEXT delay
34PRINTTAB(column,3);" ";
Line 32 is called a delay loop; it per-
forms no practical function other than
to create a slight delay to slow things
down. Line 34 prints the space that
blots out the asterisk. Note as in line 30
above the use of the two semi-colons
after the TAB command. These simply
ensure that the computer keeps print-
ing on the same line. Try playing
around with loop values to see the
effect of different values (the best way
to learn computing is to experiment!).
So far the fly just moves from left to
right across the screen. To move from
right to left, all we need do is get the
printing loop to count down from 79 to 0.
A fly tends to buzz, so some experi-
mentation with the SOUND command
should provide the right sort of noise. I
found that the command
SOUND0,-15,2,1
had the right effect. To get a continual
buzz try placing this in a suitable
position in the FOR . . . NEXT loop,
page 35^ j4
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 19
ii^
SOFTWARE. FIRMWARE AND
If
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Ct1 95
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using yourAccess card
Most programs available on Micronet 60043703
T05 MAILING Molij52l8addresses Alpha & Posl code so'ls.
5ear(;lies. any label (ormai delete add and aniend
?01 GAMES 1 5 Card. Minefield Dans Ponioon S Mrmidon
202 STOCKMARKET EiciTinq world of S(ocl(3 and shares. 1-4 players
lot HANGMAN Word game ir English French, German, Italian Spanish
a02 DISTANCES Three graphic maps ol U K EUROPE S Ihe WORLD
Calculale the dislance between any 2 places
303 FLAGS 96 'ull colour flags of the world wrih guBSlions
304 STATPACK Slalislics package giving over 30 results
305 GRAPH ProducevaneOgrflphB&charisotfunclions
306 FRENCH AMeai audio visual compjlBf way to learn a lannuaflC
307 SPELL CHECK Add lo WOROWISE
15000 words in 12 dictionaries ideahn education CI79B B
604 PROCAIO includes SEARCHBAS to search a BASIC program and alter i!.
PROCVAH lo list variables in a BASIC program S, PROCFLUSH lo clear
resideni integers in P M E3 45 fl/B
505 UTILITY A Our best selling lape includes PROCAID. DEFCHER lo
design & disr.iay graphic characters SORTM/C a very tast machine
code numeric suri, SOHTBAS Ihe onOispulad fastest BASIC sort routine E6 95 A.'B
520 BANNER Prmt giant ten and graphics on paper tor digplays C3 95 AiH
!i21 BIGLETR Prmi as above on screen/paper with screen dump t5 96 A.'B
600 FORTH '79 FORTH second language ROM C34 74 B
601 LOGO-FORTH Advanced Turile Graphics Language ROM with FORTH £57 50 B
602 PASCALT Structured language ROIUI with compiler- interpreter EB7 60 R
603 XCAL Computer Assisted Learning ROM for presentations E65 00 B
605 WOnOWISE Super fast & easy to use wordprocessor in ROM £33 95 B
606 COUMP Screen dump, a colours, suitable tor GP700A E12 96 B
607 GDUWP Screen dump ROM 8 shades. 8 sizes and Windows £17.96 B
608 GRAPHICS f^EW ROM for Sprues. LOGO. Circles, etc 627 50 B
700 BOOKS Vrtious lilies for the 9ac Micro from £6 96
801 CASSETTES CIB Computer guslilv tapes packed m lO's £4 60
810 5Z6'OISCS MEMOREX SS'S040;80T £1996 SS,'DD40;80T £20 96
901 EPSONRX-80T/F Superb lOOcpswiIhTiactorS Friction teed E276 00
902 EPSON FX-80 Magnificent 160cps. 6 founts, graphics, f /T Roll £365 00
9 10 DISC DRIVES Slimline 3" or 5'^" lOOK-aOOK Japanese Formal disc. B369 00
cable and encelleni manual Plus £50 o( FREE Software £189 00
915 DISC UPGRADE Double or Single Density available in one System £99 00
920 VDU STAND Stainless Support protects your micro £19 95
930 GREEN VDU 12 "Green Monitor, cfeamslopmg font case £79 96
931 COLOUR VDU JVC 14" Colour Monitor 370 .470 pixels CI 79 95
ADD VAT TO ALL PRICES EXCEPT BOOKS
Add CI 75 for programs on 40 or 80 Track Disc, No post charge in UK
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"2020) iiyif crtO
memo-calc
107 MEMO CALC £12 95 B C/D
"IT MUST BE AMONG THE LEAST EXPENSIVE PIECES OF USEFUL
SOFTWARE YOU WILL EVER BUY" Revue by Practical Computing July
1983
Database/calcsheet program which allows up to 255 columns The
number of rows is automatically set from 5 to over 1000 depending on
the columns declared Both numeric and alphanumeric data can be
Stored in any cell and can be of any length up to 255 characters
There are a multitude of uses for this program from accounts to diaries,
club or personnel records etc and is probably the one program that we
all need M0DE7
107a Manual for MEMO-CALC included free otherwise C2.00 (0% VAT)
wm
iOii
Part 1 is a BASIC program running in MODE? which accepts new data
i3n employees, allows additions, deletions and alterations, listing of P35
& automatic alterations to the codes as required by tax notice P7X
Fully 'user friendly* with colour and graphics to make life simple for Ihe
operator
Part 2 (WEEKLY) or Part 3 (MONTHLY) is designed to handle the
calculations of waoes and N t It allows for standard pay. two overtime
rates, optional pension funds {monthly only) other pay. holiday pay,
bonuses, post-tax adiustments and no pay
106b COIN ANALYSIS C4 95 B C/D
106c PENSION C4 95 B C/D EXTRA
106d PAYSLIP FORMS t20 34 per 1000 EXTRA
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102CASHB00K £1195 B C/D
FIRST CHOICE This is a double entry cashbook program showing cash
and bank credits and debits i.e 4 columns Any number of individual
accounts can be used end analysed or totalled individually or
cumulatively by associated group A friendly but very practical, and
reliable program which despite its low cost is used by many people in a
range of situations from domestic and clubs to schools ana businesses
MOO €7
102d CASHBOOKd £19 95 B D
SECOND CHOICE This version of the above program uses random
access disc files and can hold up to 1250 entries on 100K discs and up to
2500 on 200k discs There is sophisticated protection against
unauthorised use built in MODE 7
102f ACCOUNT £29 96 B D
THIRD CHOICE This version of the above program uses random access
disc files and an hold up to 1 100 entries on luOK discs, and up to 2250
on 200K discs Included is a choice of CASH/BANK or VAT/BANK
headings Over 830000 possible accounts combinations Ledger sheets
and summaries can be printed as well as full accounts The latest
balance is available at any time. This program is only available on disc
MODE 7
Programs of the Month
I
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I
I
I
I
■
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BUDGET fvAT
BUDGET can be used by
anybody in a domestic
environment to help them
with their own budget, by
clubs charities wishing to
prepare applications for
grants and for submission
to committees, by
educationalists in
classrooms to show
students where money
comes from and how
easily it disappears
Available on cassette for
the ELECTRON and
cassette or disc tor the
BBC Micro using any
operating system
CRIBBAGEf'vAT
Cribbage is played with a
full pacK of 52 cards An
ace always counts as V: a
Jack, Oueen or King
counts as '10' when its
value IS added to others
but ranks in normal
sequence when scoring
runs
There are usually two
players, and the most
common forms of the
game are the five-card
and SIX card The winner
of the game is the first to
score 61 or 121
respectively
BtW^^
I
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■ l
RANDOM MAILING up to 1850
addresses, names, phorm numbers & codes one
disc. Selective printing any number of labels, repeat.
stationery or fan fold. Automatic WORDWISE &
letters produced repeatedly with personalised names
many other features such as automatic sorting by
company or personal names. By far the best and most
comprehensive program of its type for the BBC Micro
Price £29.95 + VAT
niicro-?lid
25 ForeSt.Praze.Camborne
Cornwall.TR140JX tel: 0209 831274
34
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
M page 33
Our original idea was to kill the fly
once the space bar was pressed. To do
this we need to incorporate a keyboard
test or scanning routine. Two lines are
needed for this as follows:
36key$-INKEYS(0)
37 IF keys-- "THEN END
Line 36 introduces a new type of vari-
able, a string variable. String variables
of this kind are used to hold a character
(a keyboard character in this case) as
opposed to a number. The INKEYS(O)
command tells the computer to look at
the keyboard very quickly, and if a key
is pressed place its value in the vari-
able key$. The next line, line 37, tests to
see IF key$ equals a space THEN END.
If keystring (key$) doesn't contain a
space the loop will continue.
At the start of the article I laid out a
general program instruction list and
talked about structured programming.
Much of what we have played around
with so far hasn't been particularly well
structured, but before writing the main
program it is often useful either to think
your ideasthrough or experiment at the
keyboard in this manner. Let's now
map out the Fly in the Sky program in a
logical manner. Writing it down on
paper we might end up with:
1 . Set up MODE screen
2. Set up move fly left to right loop
3. Do fly moving procedure
4. Setup move fly right to left loop
5. Do fly moving procedure
6. Repeat items 2, 3, 4 and 5 until fly is
dead
Now we have the main program, albeit
I
FIRST BYTE
in words, needed to perform the
task in hand. Or do we? There's
no provision for the sound or key
testing we have discussed. In fact,
these items are minor and are
considered as subsections of the
main program. Consider item 2, the fly-
moving procedure. This could be sub-
divided as follows:
a. Print fly
b. If space key tested then do die pro-
cedure
c. Make buzz sound
d. Do a delay loop
e. Rub out fly
f. Do items a,b,c,d, and e until com-
plete
This list of items compares to the short
lines of program we developed above.
BBC Basic is unique in that groups of
statements can be enclosed inside a
special program casing called a pro-
cedure that can be given a name and
placed outside the main program. A
typical program containing a pro-
cedure might go like this:
lOPROCdemo
20 END
30:
40DEFPROCdemo
50 PRINT "This is a demo"
60ENDPROC
Enter this and run it. As you can see, the
procedure is called PROC in Basic and
is also given its own unique name, thus
the command PROCdemo will cause
the commands inside the procedure
PROCdemo to be executed. The pro-
cedure itself is prefixed by a special
command DEF, which is shorthand for
define.
The procedure must also be termi-
nated by another new command, END-
PROC {end procedure).
We need to incorporate another pro-
cedure in the program that will be exe-
cuted if the space bar is detected being
pressed. PROCdie might be written like
this:
a. ruboutoldfly
b. do a dying fly sound
c. print fly one line down
d. do a delay
e. ruboutoldfly
f. do b.c.d and e unti I fly hits the floor
g. do fly hitting floor sound
h. end fly die procedure
Now we have a main program and two
procedures. We know exactly what our
program needs to do and how it per-
forms it without so much as writing a
single Basic command, apart from a bit
of early experimentation. Get into the
habit of doing things this way; it may
seem long-winded at first, but I can
assure you virtually all professional
programmers write their programs in
this way. Sitting down directly at the
computer and writing Basic off the top
of your head leads to a bad program-
1 2 3 4 j
>
1
2
3
4
5
^ — — '
'7'"^
~^^^^\
^^
^r^ /^
\
(
^i
11 n
%
*
\
V.^
/
^^^
1 1 1 1 1
Figure 1 . The fly (represented by an asterisk) is 'moved' across the screen by being printed
and then rubbed out in each coiumn consecutively
ming technique and it is frustrating
when the program doesn't work cor-
rectly (as I've proved many times).
Finally, the program (listing 1). Look
carefully at it, trying to pick out the
structure within it and how the com-
mands relate to the list we constructed
earlier. You might not recognise
several of the commands so get your
User Guide out and find out exactly
what they do. If you are still not sure try
experimenting with them to see the
effects that different values have. Pro-
gramming is all about practice and
experimentation.
The 'Fly in the Sky'
demonstration program (listing
1) appears on yellow page ill
ACORN USER SEPTEMb
DO YOUR INVADERS FLY?
OR DON'T THEY EVEN GET OFF THE GROUND?
Bring yourdesigns
to life with
rAn AS"
FOLD I
ordinar
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Transfer your ideas for multi-coloured characters directly to
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• SPRITE LIBRARY of ready to use
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• 30 PROGRAMS - choose the
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• INTRODUCTION PROGRAM and
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Available at: £8.95 cassette, £8.95 cassette
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RETURN POSTDELIVERY
Please rush one
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for the
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Address
36
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PROGRAMMERS: We pay lump
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
^
I
FIRST BYTE
PARANOIDS
DROP IN
Michael Why's zappy game is also
an easy way to learn procedures
THE idea for Paranoids came to me
while I was watching a horror film.
I wanted to give the user a non-
stop game in which he would have to
have his wits about him all the time so
as notto lose interest.
The game starts off with three Para-
noids (Paras for short) coming down
from the top of the screen and you have
to shoot them with your laser-powered
tank before you pass on to the next
level. On this level four Paras descend
and when you've shot them, five -and
so on. If a Para lands before you can
shoot him you will lose a life, and the
game is over when you lose three lives,
and your final score will be displayed.
The game is played on just three
keys. Left and right movement of the
tank is controlled by the Z
and X keys respectively. The
tank's laser cannon is fired
by the space bar.
The game was written on
an Electron but it is compat-
ible with the Beeb. I started
the project by drawing up a
flow-chart (figure 1). This is
an essential part of design-
ing a program, as it sets out
the whole structure. My next
step was to construct a vari-
ables table (figure 2). As you
can see. all the names mean
something to the program-
mer and are built up in such a
way as to remind him what he
is doing-thus cutting down
on debugging the program.
Next I wrote down the program on
coding paper, which is divided into
rows and columns, one character per
block. The point here is that it helps
speed the completion of the program.
In fact I wrote down only the main part
of the program, for if the main structure
doesn't work there Is not much point in
adding instructions, sound and colour
etc.
This is how the program is struc-
tured, with a breakdown of the pro-
cedures:
PROCINIT defines characters, vari-
ables and also turns off the text cursor.
This procedure also defines whether
the Para will come straight down, from
the left or from the right. It also sets up
PARA$(1), PARA$(2) etc. depending
upon how many Paras are to come
down.
PROCTANK checks to see if the HOLD
key has been pressed. If it has then it
sets up a simple REPEAT . . . UNTIL
loop. When the X key is pressed it
ceases to continue. This procedure
also checks if the left or right key has
been pressed; if either has then it is
acted upon and produces a sound.
PROCPARAS is the most important
procedure in that, as the name sug-
gests, it moves the Paras and checks if
they have landed or reached either
side of the screen. In the procedure Is a
loop which moves PARA$(1}, PARAS(2)
etc (depending on the size of the loop)
one position. The Paras can only move
between columns 3 and 35 of the
screen; if they move outside these
limits they reappear on the other side of
the screen. So if a Para reaches column
35, its X position is made equal to 3 and
it reappears on the left-hand side. Simi-
larly, if the Para tries to move into
column 2 its X position is changed to 35
and the Para turns up on the right-hand
side. Each time through the loop in
PROCPARAS the flow of the program
branches to PROCFIRE, a procedure
which checks to see if the space bar
has been pressed. If it has not it returns
to PROCPARAS. If it has a sound is pro-
duced and the laser is drawn. If while
shooting, the PARAX% position is the
same as the FIREX% positionthe laser
must have hit the Para so PROCX-
PLODE is called up. This then prints an
explosion over the Para, a delay occurs
and a space is printed over the Para
and a sound produced. Line 850 is the
most important line as the increment
that is used to make the Para move is
then made equal to zero, also
PARAX% and PARAY% are then made
equal to 3 and 2 respectively.
This means that the Para is
stored as TAB (3,2). At this
point the laser from the tank
is unable to reach across this
far, so giving the impression
that the Para is no longer
there.
PROCLEVEL increases the
loop in PROCPARAS so that
if five Paras came down pre-
viously then six will now
comedown.
PROCNEW-LIFE comes into
action when a Para lands
(which is checked in PRO-
CPARAS). If LIVES% - 3 then
three lives have been lost
and your game is over. If
LIFE%-1 it goes to PROC-
TANK-LOST.
PROCTANK-LOST prints out "LIFE
LOST" with a short beep and delay
between each letter.
PROCGAME-LOST prints up
your final score and asks if
you would like another go.^
Now that I've described,
the procedures I can give
you advice on how
to achieve better
scores. Before you
page 45 >■
BBC Micro
(Model B)
New Low Price
£346
Price includes
a FREE Data Recorder
PLUS five software
programs worth £80.
(At Watford we give you a
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6502 2nd PROCESSOR £175
Z80 2nd PROCESSOR £262
Dust Cover for BBC Micro
Protects your expensive Micro from foreign
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SEIKOSHA GP100A
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GP-700 ColoLir Primer Screen-dump routine
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An exceptionally high quality daisy wheel printer
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Impact control facility to vary pressure on paper
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LISTING PAPER (Plain)
1 ,000 Sheets 9^" Fanfold Paper
2,000 Sheets 9f Fanfold Paper
1 ,000 Sheets 1 5" Fanfold Paper
Teleprinter RolHEcono paper)
£7
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PRINTER LABELS
(continuous stationery)
1,000 90x36mm
1,000 90 X 49mm
1,000 102x36mm
£5.50
£7.75
£6.25
Carriage on Printer Paper or Labels CI. 50
BBC Micro
WORD-PROCESSING
PACKAGE
A complete word processing package consisting
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LIST and DATABASE Sohwares on Disc, 10
blank 3M Discs (Lifetime warranty). A 4 way
mains distribution socket,
10 blank diskeiles, 500 sheets of fan-fold paper.
Manuals and all the leads. To enable you to carry
your Micro atound, we shall pack it in our
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0NLY£1,199(carr.f15)
(P,S, We will alter the package to suit your
requirement, Call in for a demonstration).
KAGA KP810
This new JAPANESE printer has EPSON FX/RX ,
compatible commands 140 CPS Dot matrix
Primer offers NEAR LETTER QUALITY print
in a 23 > 1 6 dot matrix in addition to the
standard Epson style type-faces on the 11x9
matrix. Friction feed. Adjustable tractor feed.
Single sheet feed and built-in Paper Roll Holder.
Normal, Italic, Enlarged. Condensed, Super and
Subscript, Dot addressable graphics (8, 9 and 16
pin modes). Proportional spacing. (Optional extra:
Down loadable character set in 8K ROM or
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at switch on. 10" maximum width, bi-directional,
logic seeking. 3K Buffer. Half speed quiet mode
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Special Introductory Offer: ONLY £249
RS232 Interface-!- 2 K Buffer £89
KAGA KP910 PRINTER
Similar features as the above KP8 10 primer but
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265 column condensed.
ONLY: £349
PRINTER LEAD 36"
Ready made printer lead to interface BBC Micro
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Special Extra long 5feet Cable
ONLY £7
£10
38
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
EPROM PROGRAMMER
At last! - the EPROM Programmer for BBC
Micro Computer from WATFORD
ELECTRONICS
tt^ai will suit both your pocket and all your
requirements. Programs all popular types of
EPROMS from 2K bytes up to 16K bytes -
2716 — 2518 — 2S32 — 2564 ~ 2764 —
27128. Our Programmer has been designed to
make sure the EPROMs are neither programmed
too fast nor too slow; just at the righl speed as
recommended by the manufacturers of the
EPROMs lany deviation in timings can burn their
brains out)
This extremely powerful system is designed tor
your needs of TODAY & TOMORROWI - BBC
Basic programs can be copied into EPROM and
subsequently re-loaded faster than from a disci
Suitable for both hobbyist and professional
users I
Jusi look at these features:
• COMPLETELY SELF CONTAINED -
Housed in its own sturdy case -- Uses its own
power supply - connects directly to the IMHz
Bus - Simple and Safel
• FULL SOFTWARE SUPPORT - Comes
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code ROM based software and easy to
understand manual. Facilities include
Vatificaiion, Reading, Virgin Testing, Writing,
Editing. Saving, Loading and more! NOTEI! -
This software does not simply comprise hastily
prepared routines to get you going, but is a
professional, purpose designed applications
package.
• ACORN BUS COMPATIBLE - Use of the
IMHi connection complies with all Acorn
addressing recommendations - That means you
can still add-on such things as the TELETEXT,
IEEE 488 TUBE and PRESTEL
• Allows more than one program to reside in
an EPROM using the ROM Filing System.
ONLY £79 incl. Manual (£3 carr.t
TEX EPROM ERASERS
EPROMs need careful treatment to survive their
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Two versions available:
• EPROMPT EB - The standard version,
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• EPROMPT GT - Erases up to 28 chips. Has
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Spare UV Lamp bulbs. £9
NEW DESIGN
PLASTIC LIBRARY CASES
for Disc Storage 5^ ' (holds 1 o) £2
MONITORS
• MICROVITEC 1431
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14" Colour Monitor
KAGA 12" Standard resolution colour
MONITOR/COMPOSITE VIDEO ONLY £195
KAGA RGB 12" Medium
Resolution Colour
£195
KAGA RGB 1 2" High Resolution Colour £259
BNC Connecting Lead £3
RGB Connecting Lead £5
ZENITH 12" High resolution, jitter free
picture. Amber or Green £75
Carriage on Monitors £7 (Securicor)
5^" DISKETTES
(Lifetime warranty}
Why settle for less, Buy the best.
• 10SC0TCH3MDisketIesS/SS/D £1S
• 10 SCOTCH 3M Diskettes S/SD/D £17
• 10SC0TCH3M DiskettesD/SD/D £28
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LOCKABLE STORAGE UNITS
Attractively finished, strong beige plastic base
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with adhesive title strips for ease of filing.
• M-35 Holdsupton35minidiscs £13
• M-85 Holds upto 85 mini discs £18
FLOPPY HEAO CLEANER KIT
Unless your Office/Home is dust free, you should
clean floppy-heads at least once a week to avoid
the risk of cross contamination. Very simple to use.
Only £14
MONITOR CRT SCREEN
CLEANING KIT
The anti-static spray controls dangerous static
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optical clarity. £12
KEYBOARD CLEANING KIT
£16
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARD CLEANING
& LUBRICATION KIT
£14
DISC DRIVES CASED WITH
CABLES (less PSU)
(All Drives are NEW SLIM-LINE Typel
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» CLS 100 Single. TEC Single sided 40 track
1 0OK, 5|" Disc Drive C1 1 S
I CLS400 Single. Mitsubishi Double sided 80
track400K,5J" Disc Drive £165
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£199
• CLD200 TEC Single sided 40 track 200K,
twin 5-i" Drives £225
) CLD800 Mitsubishi Double sided 80 track
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track switchable, 800K, Drives £249
(CUMANA) DRIVES CASED
WITH PSU & CABLES
• CS100 TEC Single sided 40 track lOOK 5f'
Single Disc Drive £139
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• CD400 TEC Single sided 80 track 200K 5i"
TWIN Disc Drives £365
• CD800 Mitsubishi Double sided 80 track
BOOK 5f TWIN Drives £425
• CDBOOS Mitsubishi Double sided 40/80 track
Switchable BOOK TWIN Drives £465
• SPARE DRIVE CABLES, SINGLE £6; DUAL £8
• DPS Manual (comprehensive) £7.50 (No VAT)
PS.
1. You do not require Formatting Discs when
using our DPS as the formatting program is in
the ROM, nor do you require expensive 40/80
track switchable drives as with our DFS you can
read and write both 40 and 80 track discs in an 80
track drive (software switchable).
2. Ouf MITSUBISHI Slimline Disc Drives are
Double Sided, Double Density, ! Megabyte. Track
density 96 TPI. track to track access time 3mSec,
They are fast, efficient and highly reliable.
Continued
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
39
F
WONDERFUL
WA TFORD
TWO DATABASE SOFTWARE
for BBC MICRO
DISCDATA
At last tor BBC Micro Disc users. Watford
Electronics have produced 'DISCDATA' which
musi be the most versatile general database at
the price on the market. The length of your files
is restricted only by the space on youi disc, You
can have upto 20 fields with page length
fecofds of upto 254 characters. The program is
comqleiely menu driven obviating reference to a
manual although written guidance is given with
the program. Add and delete records, amend
title, field names and records, sort on any field
and search for any record or group of records in
any field You do not need to abandon or rewrite
your files if you wish to add additional fields or
extend the length of any field, the program will
rewrite the files for you. Your files can be in any
drive. Output can be in 40, 80 or 132 character
width with Printer routines. Two forms of output
are provided for horizontal for label type output
and a tabulated output with title and Headings
What IS more, the selected ffelds can be placed
in any order on the screen In the horizontal
mode you can scan backwards or forwards with
wrap around effect. Output can be started or
Slopped anywhere in the file There is automatic
toialling on decimal fields and an automatic
count of the number of records output
Now with extra 3 features: Allows string search:
Calculations can be done on numeric fields.
Create Sub-Files from the main File.
On disc at Only £17
n hH to b« th« tMst nlu*.
FILE-PLUS
Now even more powerful with the added facility
of a SHELL SORT on any field This must make
DATA- PLUS the most powerful and versatile
Database to be found on BBC Micro,
A 1 6K ROM containing the most flexible and
easy to use disk based Database system on the
market, A database may occupy your total
on-line storage capacity, You may design any
number of data entry forms using a "paint" on
screen technique. Forms may be upto 3 screens
in size. A form may be used to Add,
Delete, Update, Print and Spool records from
your Database Quick search facility on any text
field A query language provides full maths
support (-. +, /, •, +-9999999999.9999) and
compare facilities (=, ">. <>. <=, > = , &, |) when
used with the keywords - Assign, Compare,
Display End Goto. Iff, Ift, Print, Read. Search,
Spool and Update Full printed output control via
embeded commands. Supplied with 70 page
manual and fitting instructions.
BUFFER & BACKUP ROM
Only £43
A very versatile firmware. An ideal ROM for
engineers, programmers, teachers, students, etc,
* Converts your Sideways RAM to a 4K or 16K
BUFFER for a parallel printer, (Uses ' FX5.31,
(You no longer require to purchase expensive
lEIOO-t-) Printer Buffers,)
* Dumps selection of Disc files to Tape,
* Makes backup copies of tapes onto Tape,
Disc and Hobbit.
* Displays contents of a chosen paged ROM on
screen,
-* Menu display on shift-break' using ROM
Filing System,
* Comprehensive Manual
Simptyagiveaway at £22
GEMINI'S BUSINESS SOFTWARE
CashbookAccounts
£52
Final Accounts
£52
Invoices & Statements
£17,25
Commercial Accounts
£17,25
Mailing list
£17.25
Database
£17.25
Stock Control
£1725
Home Accounts
£17.25
Beebcalc Spreadsheet Analysi'p
£17.25
Beebplot
£17,25
Payroll
£39
N,6, All the above Gemini software is on tape.
For Disc Based (40/80 track) please add £3,
PENPAL-VERSATILE
LIGHT PEN
SOFTWARE
9 Enjoy, Explore, Educate!
• Piicil, Line, Character Definition
• Free hand drawing
• All Colours - MANY Special Effects
• Fill. Refill and Stripes
• User defined "Brushed Strokes" plus
Character definer
• Grid, Scale. Perspective aids
• 2 TO 200 Points palletable in one Design
with Circles and "RUBBER BANDING"
• Move design/character to any screen position
• Save and Load screens. User defined Graphics
and line drawings for video titles. Own
programmes, etc
• Many Educational uses
• Instruction booklet included
• Full software support for "CUSTOM USE"
• Works with Watford, RH, Acorn User, DIY,
and many other LIGHT PENS
• Available on DISC or TAPE
Price: Tabe £10; Disc £11
DISC EXECUTOR
Disc Executor (our most popular
software) is a highly sophisticated disc utility,
which allows you to transfer all tape based
software that we know of onto disc. You no
longer have to throw away any of your cassette
based software on acquiring a disc drive. It
handles locked' programs and allows you to load
full length adventure type programs {i,e, up to &
6E blocks! and programs that load below &E00.
It is very simple to operate (full instructions
supplied). It saves you your valuable time arid
money too. Our Disc executor is not a Replica,
its the 'Real Thing',
Available in both 40 and 80 track discs. Please
specify when ordering.
Only: £10
ROM MANAGER
This unique piece of firmware has been designed
to allow the USER to access the BBC Micro's
Sideways Rom Paging facility to the full The 18
Commands our ROM MANAGER adds to your
computer are concerned with 3 aspects of ROM
use:
1. ROM CONTROL - Ability to activate at
random any of ihe ROMs present m the Micro
2. BBC MICRO'S STATUS - eg Checksum on
any ROM. and the Filing system currently active.
3. ROM DEVELOPMENT - Allows main memory
to be used like Sideways RAM
The Commands available are
■CHECKSUM - generates a CRC for the
specified ROM,
'DIRECT - allows you to pass a particular
command to the specified ROM,
'EXAMINE - allows examination of the named
ROM
'EXPLAIN - gives detailed description of the firai
22 FX codes
'FILE -' passes the command directly lo the
currenily selected filing system.
'FUNCTION - displays the string currently
programmed onto the function keys
'INCLUDE - allows he main memory to be used
for developing ROM software without need to
purchase expensive sideways HAM
'MODIFY - any location in memory is displayed
and can be modified with this command
'NAMES - displays the names of any resident
ROMs,
'RAM - allows the command to be passed
directly to the 'RAM based ROM
'REMOVE - turns oft the RAM based ROM
option
•SPECIFY and 'DEFAULT - specifies the default
ROM and passes the named command to the
default ROM specified,
'STOP and 'START - allows the named ROM W
be disabled or enabled, preventing clashes
between ROMs,
'STATUS-provides information about the
ROMs inside the BBC micro, including the socket
number, the name of the ROM. its length,
whether or not it is enabled and supports
language or service entry points.
'VALUES - outputs information concerning the
status of ROM MANAGER e.g. the socket
number it occupies, the number of active ROMs
with a higher priority than itself, the current filing
system,
'VECTOR - the same function as "DIRECT, but
provided in case 'DIRECT clashes with other
fiOMs.
In our opinion this ROM is one of the most
useful utility ROMs available on the market, and
is a must for anyone using ROM based software.
Price: Only £21
ADE
The complete program development package on
16K ROM, A must for all the Assembly
Language Programmers,
SPECIAL OFFER £49
ACCESS HOT LINE
Tel: 0923 50234
40
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
\^^
-
■ ~
'
■• L
INI
CMP
X
D
L
4>-^
H T
■
*^/-
(89
-i'
Watford's own Machine code Monitor ROM
written bv Andrew Bray (Cambridge), co-author
of the BBC Micro Advance User Guide.
The most powerful and versatile machine code
monitor ROM yet written for BBC Micro. It has
all the normal memory editing, moving and
relocating facilities, plus all editing is with a full
screen editor allowing scrolling up and down
memory, entering in Hex, ASCII or standard
assembler mnemonics.
In use as a debugging tool, you run code under
a total emulation system. Everfelt a desperate
urge to set a break point in ROM? No problem
- you car) even have breakpoint on reading or
writing locations in memory and on register
contents. The system fully suppons debugging
of sideways ROMs e.g. BASIC can fully and
easily be run from within Beebmon and from
there DFS and other sideways ROMs can be
used in total emulation mode.
Beebmon can even run Itself. In so doing you
can nest Beebmon up to a level limited only by
the memory size. Beebmon uses 256 bytes of
workspace, located anywhere in memory, even
on the 1MHz Bus. Beebmon effectively uses no
zero page workspace, so your program (e.g.
BASIC) can use any or all of the base page.
How does it achieve this? By providing a 6502
interpreter all programs running under it exist
in a verlual BBC. so special memory locations
like the ROM latch are not actually accessed
bv your programs, instead they alter a location
in Beebmons workspace Emulation also
allows immediate return to Beebmon command
level by cirl-escape no matter what code is
being excuted at the time. All this exceptional
power and flexibility is complemented by a
clear and detailed manual included in a value
for money price ol;
£22
Discover the hidden secrets of BASIC and the
OPERATING SYSTEM with this easy to use
programmers tool.
A ROM based machine code Disassembler for
the BBC micro. It enables machine code
programs to be listed in BASIC/DUMP format
and thus is the perfect complement to the built
in assembler. It allows Sideways ROMs, files on
disk or tape to be listed, and also has a
comprehensive editor, allowing mnemonics to be
altered direcily. as well as HEX, DECIMAL, ASCII
and BINARY memory editing. There is also a full
set of labelling facilities available (up to 3,200
labels), with the major locations and routines
already labelled.
Thus DIS-ASM enables any monitor program,
such as BEEBMON to be used to much greater
effect as it is not necessary to disassemble
memory each time the display is altered.
ONLY £18
^VATFORO-Alw«Y«
a st«p ahead
COMPUTER CONCEPT'S ROMS
CARETAKER Basic Utility £28
Graphics ROM ^28
Disc Doctor ROM £28
Wordwise
Without doubt a very sophisticated piece ot
software for the BBC Micro, It has all the
features of a professional word processor yet is
easy to use.
SPECIAL OFFER THIS MONTH: £32
THE
IIMVESTIGATOR
Now you can make up back-up copies of all your
Discs. Put the precious originals away in the safe
and use your duplicates.
See what your 8271 can do' With Watfords
Investigator you can find out about track
formatting, sector length, etc. Investigate your
disc and then make up your back-up copy.
Disc based software includes a comprehensive
manual.
Price:£15
(please specify 40 or 80 track when ordering)
LIGHT PEN for BBC Micro
Thrs versatile lightpen is very easy to use It
allows you free hand drawing in all colours Has
Special effects facility and many educational
uses. An ideal and easy way of communicaiing
with Micros for Children.
Only:£20
IPrice includes our highly sophisticated PENPAL
Lightpen software on Cassette Please add £2 for
software on Disci
GAMES SOFTWARE
ADVENTUREQUESTIL,9)
COLOSSALADVENTURE (L9)
CHESS
CHUCKIEEGG
CRAWLER IWESOFT)
CROACKER
DUNGEON ADVENTURE (L.9)
Escape from MOONBASE ALPHA
FELIX in theFACTORY
GALACTIC COMMANDER
KILLER GORILLA
MUNCHYMAN
MOONRAIDER
MUSIC SYNTHESISER
PENGOlWatfotdl
SNOWBALL (L.9I
SWOOP
Twin Kingdom Valley
747FLIGHTSIMULATOR
£850
£8.65
C6.95
£7.90
£5.00
£6.95
£8.50
£6.95
£6.95
£6.95
£6.95
£5.95
£6.95
£8.25
£6.95
£850
£6.95
£8.25
£7.75
Waford Electronics'
32K RAM
EXPANSION BOARD
FOR THE
BBC MICROCOMPUTER
Nov*/ Watford Electronics brings you the
latest state-of-the-art memory expansion
board for your BBC microcomputer. This
compact board which fits inside the
computer does not just give you 1 6K or
even 20K of extra RAM, but a massive
32K!!t
There are many useful facilities available
with this board:
• The top 20K of the expansion RAM can
be used as the screen display memory,
leaving all the standard BBC RAM free for
programs or data storage. This allows good
graphics and long programs to be
combined. For instance you could have
MODE 0/1/2 GRAPHICS AND 28K OF
PROGRAM SPACE. The extra memon^ can
be used by virtually any language ot utility
such as BASIC. VIEW, WORDWISE. etc.
• The full 32K or the bottom 1 2K of the
expansion RAM can be used as a buffer for
the printer, sound channels, RS423,
keyboard or speech synthesiser. This allows
very long text files to be printed while you
are using 27K of program and 20K of
graphics'
• This board is the ideal complement to
any word processing system. There is no
need to wait for slow printers as you can
type in long text in 80 column display
mode while priming is going on - TWO
JOBS DONE SIMULTANEOUSLYMi (an
equivalent printer buffer would cost you
£115 + ),
• The board is compatible with a vast
range of software and hardware available
tor the BBC microcomputer, including ou'
ROM expansion board and double density
DFS.
• The board is extremely easy to M It 'S
supplied complete with a comprehensive
manual and ROM based software with full
•HELP messages
SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY OFFER
OnlY:£79(carr CI)
GRAPH PAD
With this popular British Micro's Graph-pad, you
can add new dimension to your compuier
enjoyment. It helps you to create your own
application programs by the simple use of the
Graphpad Ideal lor Educational use. Supplied
complete with Cables. Manual and a two
program cassette
Price: £115
SURGE PROTECTOR Plug
Safely eliminates dangerous voltage surges.
During a thunderstorm, a nearby lightning
strike can induce high voltage spikes in the
voltage supply or fluctuating loads can also
result in transient overvoltages which if
unchecked, load to expensive data
corruption/loss. Our surge protection plug will
provide the necessary sutge protection. Simply
replace your standard 13Amp mains plug with
the surge protection plug (which is almost the
same size). Ideal for computers. Hi-Fi systems,
precision instruments, fridge freezers, etc. Max.
surge current 2KAmp: Max. Voltage 250 Volts
A must for all serious computer users
Price: £8.95
WATFORD
ELECTRONICS
Continued
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
41
MK 2 13 ROM SOCKET
EXPANSION BOARD
Now all lines fully buffered - On board
battery back-up facility - will now acceot
EPROMS 2716, 2732, 2764 & 27128 and
ROMs 6116 & 6264.
Simply plugs into one of the four ROM sockets
currently available in BBC Micro, There are only
5 solder connections to be made. Full
instructions are supplied. This board has been
ergonomically designed to enable the user, easy
further expansion inside the Micro, e.g. Double
Density Board, Torch Board, etc. (At Watford, we
think ahead.)
Our Mk2 13 ROM Socket Board enables the
User lo increase the sideways ROM capacity
from the basic 4 sockets upto full 16 capable ot
bemg supported by current operating systems. In
addition the board is designed wtih the facility to
hold upto 16K RAM, which when switched into
operation is automatically selected by any WRITE
signal to the Sideways ROM area. This gives the
User the ability to write a utility or language and
upon pressing break have the utility or language
up and running (new ROM software can be
developed and tested in situ. I
The Board gives the User, plenty of freedom to
explore the possibilities of the new paged ROMs
due m The coming months and offers them the
chance to develop their own
All lines are fully buffered and the Board meets
or exceeds all timings for operation in the BBC
Microcomputer. When fully populated the ROM
Board consumes less than half the recommended
maximum current limit.
Supplied ready-built and tested complete with
fitting instructions
ON LY £32.50 (carrCl
Versatile BEEB SPEECH
SYNTHESISER Unit
SIMPLY the best! - An unlimited speech
synthesis system. Complete with
easy-to-follow manual. Controlling software
is in ROM so no Cassette Loading
problems I
PHONEMES for word synthesis - That means
unlimited vocabularyl No extra speech
dictionary chips to buy!
BUILT-in Library of approximately 500 words to
get you started.
ENGLISH accent - Utilises inflexion techniques
to produce highly comprehensible speech.
EASY to use system - Just plug the software
ROM into a socket, the Speech unit into
the User Port, and away you go' No
specialised dealer upgrade' required!
COMPACT unit - The whole system is built into
a small case - easily lucked behind the
computer. Auxiliary output socket provided
for direct connection to an external
amplifier.
HOURS of fun I - Suitable for any application -
Games. Educational Programs. Specialised
Packages,
We know this all seems to good to be true but
DONT BE LEFT SPEECHLESSI Order your
Versatile Speech Unit nowl
Only £44
WATFORD'S
LAUNCH OF THE YEAR
APEX
The ultimate expansiorj system for the BBC
microcomputer. It enables you to increase
memory capacity to 2-^/MEGABYTES
including BATTERY BACKED-UP RAM.
The system consists of a mother board
which fits inside the BBC and further
daughter cards can be connected externally-
The internal card has the following features
• 1 5 ROM/RAM sockets, 1 1 of which can
be configured as 2716, 2732. 2764
27128 EPROMS or ROM equivalent
devices or as 6264 RAMs. Any RAM is
Automatically battery backed-up and it's
contents preserved when the power is
turned off.
• The battery is recharged every time the
machine is turned on and lasts several
months, depending on the number of RAMs
fitted,
• There is very little extra current drain,
even with a fully loaded board as only the
presently active ROM is powered up. In fact
the fully populated board uses only 300/mA.
• The board reduces micro bus loading by
up to three ROM loads, which improves
reliability and performance.
• Installation is extremely simple. There is
no soldering required. The board is rigidly held
by two 40 pin sockets and five support posts.
A ribbon cable can be brought outside the
computer and up to 8 external cards added.
This enables the user to plug-in up to 142
paged ROMs. The cards have following
features:
• Each card can accommodate up to 16
devices each of which can be configured as
2716, 2732. 2764, 27128 ROMs or 6264
8K RAMs,
• Battery backup is provided from the
internal card.
• Only the active ROM is powered up
permitting many external ROMs to be
added with very little current loading
(/100/mA per card/).
The system comes with controlling software
in ROM, The utilities supplied are as follows;
• APEX - replies with the device number
currently being accessed.
• APEX C - toggles between the colour
and standard black and white messages.
• AL - loads from any device, regardless
of the data type,
• AS - saves memory to any specified
RAM device.
• AD - prints a directory of the devices
present in the system, i.e. ROMs present
and files stored. This also reports on the
amount of free storage space,
• AF - asks for the free RAM devices.
• LA - repeats the last command to paged
ROMs,
• AT - enters a memory testing routine.
This will write a test pattern into the
memory and read it back out again. If a
fault is found, it is reported to the user.
This test continues until Escape is pressed.
• RDISC - activates APEX as a filing
system which then treats all free APEX
RAM in the system as a continuous
'RAM-DISC. All commands have similar
format to the DPS and transfer is possible
between the two systems.
The complete computer system bus is
available to the user, so that other
cards/devices could be added such as
EPROM programmers, second processors,
Winchester disc drives, clocks, etc. By
racking the cards you eliminate the tangled
mass of cables that usually accumulates
around the micro,
A comprehensive operating manual is
supplied with every APEX Board. Please
write in for further details and prices.
BEEBFONT ROM
BEEBFONTisa remarkable new concept in BBC
software, exclusively available from Watford
Once fitted, the 16K ROM will enable you to
produce attractive text displays In following I
different styles: '
* It works in modes 0, 1,2, 4, using full
colour.
* Simply use Ctrl-V to select the font and all
further screen output will be in a new style.
* Even the ordinary Beeb character set can be
enhanced by doubling height or width and |
emphasising to give bold print. I
* A comprehensive editor is included which '
enables the user to design his own characters.
* A spooling program is provided, which
enables pre-formatted text files to be displayed
on an EPSON FX. RX, and NEC Printers, using
the full range of character styles, (Please specify
P,7nn^,«\f^,-'^^^'' o't^^ring). Can be used with
WUn UWISE
* This really must be one of the most original
and exciting products of the year.
* A twenty page manual is provided and the
demo/editor software comes on disc or cassette
(please specify when ordering). ON LY £39
THE ULTIMATE DFS
FOR BBC MICRO
by i
=|y|J|@ \A/at:ford Electronics^
Highly acclaimed at The ACORN and BBC
MICRO USER Shows. What do the independent
press say?
Good value for money - Beebug Aug. 83
A very worthwhile package - The Micro User
Voull be buying a very powerful package -
Personal Computer News
Superior DFS; Excellent disc sector editor -
Computer Answers
Without a doubt, the most sophisticated DFS
Software yet written for BBC Micro Computer.
This powerful new DFS is fully compatible with
ACORN DFS yet has much increased power due
to additions, carefully designed to make life
easier in normal use, Ifconsists of over MK of
efficiently written machine code. It is entirely self
contained and so does not require a utilities disc
to function.
Please write in for full technical specification.
PR/CBS:
DFS (Disc Filing System) ROM
£29
Complete Disc Interface Kit including
DFS ROM & Fitting instructions £99
Disc Filing System Manual. Comprehensive and
clearly written C7 50(noVAT|
P-S- We will exchange your existing ACORN DFS
or PACE lAMCOM) DFS for Watford's highly
sophisticated 1 6K DFS ROM for £25
Watford's DFS is exclusively available from
Watford Electronics, We do NOT retail through any
dealers. Every ROM carries a label with our LOGO
and a serial number.
Now available:
Acorn DFS Kit
£95
42
EPROMs & CMOS RAMs
2764-250nS (8K ROM) £5.95
27128'-250nS (16K ROM) £24.00
6116-150nS {2K RAM Low Powsr) £5.76
6264-1 SOnS (8K RAM Low Power) £28
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
WATFORD'S
BEEB PRINTER ROM
Are vou led up with noi being able io unravel your
ptintet manual and use all Ihose leaiures you paid
for? Need sensible paging for use m the cteation ot
booklets? Then you certainly need our Beeb Printer
ROM.
A machine code printer utility in ROM.
• Single' key operations teplace control code
sequences for underline, font and size selection,
paper movement, etc. Up to 30 come pre-defined,
without effecting normal fn key usage.
• This rom allows easv control of your
printer from Within' WORDWISE text.
Instead of long escape sequences, you just
'OC a single number to Select, Underline,
Prii^t Styles, etc.
• Automatic fanfold page margins. Puis gaps in
listings. PRINTed text etc to skip the folds. The gap
size alternates Io minimise paper wastage when
using binders,
• Form feed and related commands, made
available on ALL printers. Can also provide a left
margin
• User defined characters embedded within tenl
are printed as on VDU.
• ♦Commands select option for GPlOO, STAR,
NEC. MX/FX, LP VII/DMPIOO, DMP200,
Operates with Parallel and Serial Primers.
• Fully functional with the popular WORDWISE
wordprocessor.
Supplied complete with a comprehensive 50 page
manual.
Price: £24
IWhen ordering, please specify primer lype)
DUMPOUT 3
A highly sophisticated machine code ROM
providing screen to printer dumps in any mode,
plus window setting utilities and two new
OSWORD calls that allow you to use Ifie Beeb
graphic coordinate system for plotting or testing
mode 7 'pixels.
■GIMAGE Ultra sophisticated dump of any
gtaohic screen, using up to 8 tones
Handles FULL MODE 7 text, graphics,
double-height and colour and mode 8. 14
optional parameters, using prefixing' so that you
onty need specify Ihe ones that you want The
parameters include:
• V' .scale •■ H-.scale>. These are both 2 byte
numbers giving you very fine control over the
dump si;e from minute to enormous Unlike
olher dump Roms, scale does not vary with
screen mode
• R .O-S-- Dump rotation 0, 90, 180. 270
degrees.
• Kindenl - Set gap from left edge of paper
• X '■ min ■' ■ max -' Y -' min ■- ■; max > The area
ot the screen dumped is thai in the graphics
window, altetnaiively these parameters may be
given,
• P Physical colour values used for dumping.
(Otherwise use a negative scale, i.e. white prints
darkest.)
• T Two tone dumps for higher resolution.
• IVl ■' mask ■ 8 bits controlling colour masking.
• E Contrast expansion Makes mode 7 text
characters and separated graphics stand out
more clearly from the background.
• C All mode 7 graphics printed as reduced siie
dumps.
• 'GWINDOW Draws graphic window on
screen its size and position can then be altered
using the cursor keys
• 'TIIVIAGE ■ indent ■ Does a fast, text only
dump of the text window in any mode.
• 'TWINDOW As GWINOOW but for text,
DUMP OUT 3 gives you ALL of the GIMAGE
facilities listed above and GWINDOW in mode 7
as well, not just hi-res modes.
Ideal for CP80 GP80 DP100, GP2G0, STAR,
KAGAAAXAN NEC, SHINWA. CP80. GEMINI,
EPSON MX/RX.FX, LPVII,
DMP1OO/120/2O0/4O0 Printers.
Comprehensive Manual included. Only £22
n^
Watford Electronics
MODEM 84
For BBC Microcomputer
With the launch of Watford's MODEM 84
you can now hook into PRESTEL,
MICRONET, HOMELINK, TELECOM GOLD,
etc.. for about the cost of a good tape
recorder. Prestel gives you access to an
incomparable database covering almost
every subject under the Sun, There is
Micronel with lots of free programs that
you can download and run. Details of Clubs
and User groups, a diary of meetings and
exhibitions, news and reviews, technical
information, etc. There is Homelink with
On-line banking. And there is armchair
shopping, travel information. Entertainment,
World News, Sports News, Business News,
Weather information, Electronic mail and
lots more. The basic Prestel subscription is
only C5 per quarter lor domestic user and
at off-peak times there is no charge for
access time. Can you afford not to be part
of this revolution'
Now using the latest techniques and the
new generation of Modem chips, Watford
have developed a Modem that is newer,
better and yet cheaper than any on the
market.
Compare the Specifications:
MODEM
• Direct-connect Modem using BT approved
isolation components,
• Full Duplex V23 operation for Prestel and
TELECOM GOLD operation (1200/75 Baud).
• User-lo-User half duplex 1200/1200 Baud
operation with AUTOMATIC SEND/RECEIVE
switch IBEWARE - most MODEMS switch
manually between send and receive, which
precludes the use of intelligent user-io-user
software).
• Simple single button operation and
comprehensive LED status display.
• Attractively finished. Sized to sit on the Disc
drive.
NEW SUPER PRESTEL
INTERFACE ROM
FullycompaiiblewithWatford'sM0DEMB4as
well as with PRISM and most other Modems.
• Supports full Prestel Colour Alpha and
Graphic Characters including Double Height,
Flashing. Conceal/Reveal.
• Called by simple 'PRESTEL C0f>imand. Disc
and Tape configurations fully supported,
• Telesoftware downloader included.
• Comprehensive MAILBOX facilities including
offline editor,
• Auto Logon sequence, can be burnt into ROM
if desired.
• Unique "TAG " facility allows tagging and
recall of interesting pages - avoids the common
and annoying NOW WHERE WAS THAT PAGE'
problem
• Page load and save to tape or disc. Pages are
automatically saved under Page Number
reference in a FRAME' directory.
• Print page options are ASCII only (i.e. with
supression of Graphics) - fast and works with
any printer - as well as a full graphics dump for
the popular Epson printer
• USER function call built into interface with
specialist add-on routines (your own as well as
ours).
• All the above facilities available from Function
Keys. An overlay is provided giving simple yet
comprehensive guidance to the key (unctions.
• Comprehensive instruction manual supplied.
PRICES:
SOFTWARE ROM incl. Comprehensive
Manual £20
MODEM 84 (without software) £62
MODEM 84, SOFTWARE ROM and Operating
Manuals ONLY: £82 (f 2 carr)
IPIease allow upto 28 days (or delivery/
Please write to Watford Electronics for full
details. Order and Application Forms.
FX80 PRINTER
DRIVER for VIEW
Do you want to use Italics or Enlarged
Characters with View' French or German
Characters? These and olher FONTS from FX80
character sets can be accessed using our Printer
Driver with VIEW. The disc contains an example
as well shows how to use. Available on 40 or BO
track Disc. ONLY: £9
EPSON DUMP ROM
A specially designed Dump ROM for EPSON RX.
FX and the new Kaga KP810 Printers. Will
accurately DUMP all Screen modes including
TELETEXT GRAPHICS and DOUBLE HEIGHT
MULTITONE DUMPS are also supported Simple
single command CSCDUMP) operation
Only. £20
TINY PASCALfor BBC Micro £59
VIEW
Wordprocessor (New version)
£49
FORTH ROM for BBC
This superb (FIG FORTH) compiling language
now available in ROM. Simply plugs into one
of the BOM Socliets Manual included, £33-
WATFORD
ELECTRONICS
Continued
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
43
BOOKS (No VAT on Books)
30 Programs -BBC Micro £3 25
30 Hour BASIC (BBC Micro) £6.95
35 Education Programs forBBC £6,95
36 Challenging Games for BBC C5.95
40 Educational Programs for BBC £5 95
100 Programs for BBC Micro £6.95
Cassette version of above £10,00
6502 Application Book £n!95
6502 Assembly Language Program ., £13^95
6502 Assembly Language
Subroutines £1425
6502 Machine Code for Beginners £5.95
6502 Software Design £10.50
A young persons guide to BBC Basic ... £4^50
Advanced Machine Code Technique
forBBC £7 95
Advanced User Guide for
BBC Micro £11,95
Advanced Graphicswith BBC £9.95
Advanced 6502 Interfacing £10.95
Advanced 6502 Programming £12,45
Assembly Language Programming on
BBCMicro £7.95
Advanced Programming Techniques
for the BBC Micro £7.95
BBC Basic £7.95
Assembly Lang. Prog, on BBC ... £7 40
BBCBASIC £5.95
BBC Basic for Beginners £6,95
BBC D!Y Robotics & Sensors , £6 95
BBCForth £7 50
BBC Lisp :,;.;; £7:50
BBC Micro An Expert Guide £6 95
BBC Micro Book BASIC Sound &
Graphics £7,95
BBCMicroGraphics and Sound £6.95
BBCMicro Programs in Basic £5 95
BBC Micro ROM PAGING System
Explained ,,.. £2.50
BBCMicro Revealed £6.95
BBCMicro Assembly Lang. Prog £7.95
BBC Micro Disc Companion £7,95
BBC Micro in Education £6.50
Basic Programming on BBC Micro £5.95
Best of PCW Software (BBC) £5.95
CP/M Users Guide £13,95
Creating Adventure Programs on
BBC Micros £6.95
Creative Graphics Cassette (Acornsoft),
Has 36 graphics programs £8,95
Creative graphics on BBCMicro £7,50
Complete Programmerfor BBC £5 95
DISC FILING SYSTEM (DFS)
Operating Manual for BBC £7.50
Discover BBC Machine Code £6.95
Discover FORTH £13,95
DIY Robotics & Sensors with BBC £6.95
Further Prog, for BBC Micro £5,95
FORTH Programming £14.40
Functional Forth for the BBCMicro £5.95
GamesonyourBBCMicro £2.95
Games BBC Computer Can Play £6.95
Graphs & Charts on BBC Micro £7.50
Graphic Art for BBC Computer £5.95
Graphs and Charts (Cassette) £7.50
Graphics on BBCMicro £6.95
Hobbit (Book and Cassette) £14.95
Introducing the BBC Micro £5,95
Introduction to FORTH £9,30
Intro to Micro Beginners Book
(3 Ed.) £9,90
Letyour BBC teach u to program ... £6 45
LISP £9,25
Logo Programming £8 95
Mastering VISICALC !!!! £12^45
MasteringCP/M £13.65
Micros in the Classroom £4.90
Programming the 6502 £11,95
Programming & Interfacing 6502 .... £16.00
Programming the BBC Micro £6 95
PASCAL £9.25
Programming for Education on BBC ... £5,95
Structured Prog, with BBC BASIC £6,50
The Complete FORTH £6 95
The BBC Micro Book. BASIC, SOUND
&GRAPHICS £7.40
Using Floppy Discswith BBC Micro .... £5.95
Using BBC Basic £6.95
Using 6502 Ass, Language £1450
Wordstars CP/M made easy .._ £6.95
DOUBLE DENSITY BOARD
We are proud to announce the launch of our
Double Densiiv Board for the BBC Micro. The
DDFS software that we supply is a version of
our hicjhlv acclaimed standard 16K DFS for the
BBCMicro, It has all the features of the single
density DFS, Allows single files upto 359K, It
will automaticallv tell whether a single or double
density disc is being accessed, as well as
allowing the option of reading 40 track disc on
an 80 track drive. Now on your 80 track Double
Sided Drive you will have 720K storage instead
of the usual 400K and with higher speed than
ever before (of course this is a BONUS at NO
EXTRA COST).
Complete Double Density Upgrade Unit will cost
same as single density Kit
Delivery 4 weeks (approx).
DATA RECORDER &
ACCESSORIES
Top quality Slimline, portable Data Recorder for
computer use. Mains/Battery, operated with
counter „__ .-
DATA RECORDER CABLE t^-t-UU
For our Data flecorderlo BBC Micro £2 50
DATA CASSETTES TopgradeC12 Data
Cassettes in library cases. 36p
ATTACHE CARRYING
CASE for BBC Micro
These Attache Carrying cases are attractively
finished in mottled antique brown leatherette. An
ideal and very safe way to carry your BBC
Microcomputer, Price: £12 (£2 carr,)
This space reserved
for our
'Launch of the Year'
Hardware
This space reserved
for yet anottier
launch of our
Hardware for the
BBC
Microcomputer.
- To be unveiled at
the Acorn User
Show OLYMPIA -
LONDON. August
1984,
VOLTMACE'S DELTA 14
Hand-set
Price Delta 1 4' Hand set
ADAPTOR MODULE
TRANSFER PROGRAM
£12.50
£12.55
Tape £5.10
Disc £7.95
JOYSTICKS for BEEB
Two versions available:
SINGLE: Playar type
TWO Players type
£7.00 each
£12.00 per pair
PLINTH FOR BBC MICRO
Protect youf micro from the weight of the heavy
TV/Monilof. This sturdy piinth is attractively
finished in BBC colour. Air vent slots have been
provided to allow maximum air circulation It can
be used to support a monitor or a printer. The
micro slides underneath comfortably, A must tor
every BBC Micro owner, specially for ihose who
have to move/open their computer frequently.
Single Decker £11 (carr CI. 501
Double Decker £20 (carr. C2 001
PLINTH FOR PRINTERS
Keeps your desk tidy Place the printer on the
plinth and the paper underneath, finished in
BBC colour.
tlO Icarr. Ct 50)
AWAY MAINS
DISTRIBUTION SOCKET
A highly versatile space saving sol;jtion when
rnulti-power outlets are required. Can be wall or
floor mounted. Ideal for Micro Computer and
penpherals application Prevents you getting a
dangerous tangle of plugs and adapters
Only: £9.50
READY-MADE LEADS
CASSETTE LEADS 7 pin DIN Plug
to 5 pin DIN Plug . 1 Jack Plug £2 00
to 3 pin DIN Plug » 1 Jack Plug £2 00
to 7 pin DIN Plug £250
to 3 Jack Plugs £2 00
6 pin OtN to 6 pin DIN Plug (RGB) £2.50
Monitor Lead. BNC to PHONO £3.00
Disc Drive to BBC Micro Power Lead
Single: £3.00 Dual £3.75
MISCELLANEOUS
CONNECTORS
Plugs
RGB (6 PIN DIN) 30p
RS423 (5 pin Domino) 40p
Cassette (7 pin DIN) 25p
EC0NET(5pinDIN) 20p
Paddles ) 1 5 pin 'D') 1 lOp
BBC Power Plug 6 way gOp
Disc Drive Plug 4 way 75p
Sockets
4Sp
50p
65p
30p
21 5p
Prices subject to change without notice and availability.
MAIL ORDER AND RETAIL SHOP. TRADE AND EXPORT INOUIRiF« uwEirnuc
cSBmi^l"!,*.'"'' ^°""^'°'-*'- ESTABLISHMENTS OF^rCAl^^O^RSEVs ««"«
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Telephone: 0923 40588/37774. Telex: 8956095
44
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
< page 37
actually play the game watch how it
works. You'll then have an idea as to
how the Paras reach one side of the
screen and then reappear on the other
side.
Press ESCAPE and run the program
again, this time taking up your position
to shoot the Paras. Move one space in
front of the target so that, if the Para is
coming down from the right, you pos-
ition yourself one space to the left and
keep your finger on the fire button.
As you progress you'll find that it
takes longer for it to register when you
hit a Para. This is because in PROC-
PARAS more and more Paras come
down as the loop gets bigger. The Para
you hit may be PARA$(16), This means
that it will have to go through the loop
16 times before it registers. You might
find this frustrating but it adds to the fun
of the game and would be too easy if it
registered as soon as the laser hit the
Para.
I hope you enjoy playing Paranoids
and beat my own highest score, which
was 1 1 .850 on level 19 (on an Electron).
Turn to yellow pages ili and iv
for the paranoids program
I
FIRST BYTE
start
Setup
variables
(PROC INIT)
INTEGER
VARIABLES
LIFE%
LIVES%
HIT%
LAND%
PARA%
T%
SCORE%
LEVEL%
L%
FIREX%
FIRE%
P%
D%
STRINGS
SPACES
explode!
tankS
AS
ARRAYS
PARAX%{30)
PARAY%{30)
X%(30)
Y%(30)
PARA${30)
FUNCTION
Registers whether a Para lands.
Acounterforthenumberof lives lost.
Adds upthe number of Paras hit.
Adds upthe number of times a
Para has landed.
Increases as the number of Paras
increases.
Current X co-ordinate of tank.
Current score.
Current level.
General-purpose loop counter.
For calculating the position of the
laser.
The actualcalculated laser position.
The pitch used in PROCFANFARE.
The duration used in PROCFAN-
FARE.
FUNCTION
Used to cover a Para when it is
moved or hit.
The explosion used when a Para
has been hit.
The character used for the tank.
Used for producing the beeps
when a life has been lost.
FUNCTION
Current X position of the Para.
Current Y position of the Para.
The X increment when movi ng the
Para.
The Y increment when moving the
Para.
The Paras' actual character.
♦ «-
Move
Tank
(PHOCTANK)
Move
Paras
(PROCPARAS)
/HasX.
Yes
Increase
^en till?/
score
Tn^
' '
Has
a Para
landed?.
Yes
Decrease
score
Decrease
lives
Yes
No
Increase
Yes /^Have\^
number
4 <jll Paras been.
of Paras
\. hit? /^
No
Yes
Figure 1. Flow-chart of the action in the 'Paranoids' program
(above)
Figure 2. Variables table for 'Paranoids' (left)
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
|M| CDE) (g (g Q E Q O O CD © d) (o) O C) O 1)
IS
Q
G
Q
' ^
B
Q
O
S
G
O
s
l'—~-^
AVAILABLE FOR THE FOLLOWING TITLES
KILLER GORILLA; THE MINE;
CYBERTRON MISSION; STOCK CAR;
BLOCKBUSTER; RUBBLE TROUBLE;
FRENZY; FELIX IN THE FACTORY;
GHOULS; JET POWER JACK.
• All 10 games are packaged with full colour
artwork in an A5 vinyl sleeve.
• Each disk will work on both 40 and 80 track drives.
• Instructions and screen photograph on the back cover.
• Available NOW from your local dealer or by mail order. V ^ \ |?5
SPECIAL OFFER: Return your Micro Power cassette enclosng £4.95 for the disk (q]
version or come along to our stand at the Acorn User Show 16-19 August. ^ —
NOTE: The rest of our range of titles for the BBC Micro (except Filer and Draw) will
also be available on disk but without the colour packaging. These programs
will be available from the beginning of August and by mail order ONLY.
o
I I U^TTl^-^^-rl^-^^-/ Tel: 0532 436300 '^"^S^^^t Jg^lJBt Q
(l(M)Q](c](g(o)OG©GO(M)Q][c][Rj(o]QQ©00
MICRO POWER LTD.,
Sheepscar House,
Sheepscor Street South,
Leeds LS7 IAD
Tel: 0532 436300
SEE US AT
SYSTEMS
ADVANCE 86
IBM compatible. 128K ram;
2 x 320K Drives. Price inc
Perfect Writer, Perfect Speller,
Perfect Filer and Perfect Calc.
plus 12 months on site warranty
(monitor available at extra cost).
£1437 inc. VAT.
SANYO 555
80% IBM compatible. 128K RAM,
2 X 160K Drives. Price includes; Wordstar,
Mailmerge. Info-Star and Calc-Star
Limited number of SAGE Accounts still
(Monitor available at extra cost) £11 48 inc. VAT.
Electron <£199 inc. VAT
Includes free software tape
BBC-Bfroni£399inc.VAT.
Includes free tape recorder. Full range of
Software and Disk Drives available.
PRINTERS
Brother Printers
Juki Daisywheel
Daisystep
Epson Fx 80
IncludingleadforBBC.£399 inC.VAT.
Stay tuned to
Mictowate tor
further discounts
DRIVES
Epson 400K-200K-800K
plus new 3¥/' Epson Drives
and lOOK Superdrive from
£329 inc. vat;
200K
62 file names including cable and power lead.
Send £215 to include VAX p&p. 40 TVack
inc. formatting disk & manual. Single & Double
400K
124 file names including all necessary leads.
Send i399 to include VAT, p&p, 80 TVack
inc. formatting disk & manual. Single & Double
800K&800KSwitchable
124 file names including cable & power lead.
Send £490 to include VAT, p&p.
Send £499 for 800K Switchable.
MONITORS
Sanyo/BMC <£iiOinc.VAT
12"amber or green screens.
Full range Microvitec colour from d£199.
Call tor our full price list.
Diskettes
Memorex. in packs of 10
SS40tk. £18.00
DS40tk. £23.00
SS80tk. £26.00
DSSOtk. £29.00
Including VAT, p&p.
Pniiiikt
Price
Qty.
'[btal
£
£
£^
£.
£.
£.
£.
£.
SI-:M>i)i-T\]l-S()N. ^
Ti n\\ . SI M ICNCLi iSt;[ ) I Chu|in' 1 )r credit card n( \. I i_- —
Al.i. PRol HCTS AUK BRVM ) NKVV B( 1\K1) AM ) (IFF1-Hi:r) WITH FULL
MANri-\CTl"HKHS\V\HltV\'n'..\Ll.ijL't:R[FS\VlLLBK.ANS\VEREr)RVMAlL
ACCESSORIES
BBCStands £15.00
Dust covers £5.60
Disk storage boxes ^^\ ^^C- ,
£17.00 (takes 35} Drives and ^-
Disk storage boxes Prmters)
£25.00 (takes 80}
Prices include VAT, p&p.
yfUCROM^RE
14 Charles Street Hanley Stoke -on -TVent
(0782)269 883
44 Westow St. Upper Norwood London SE19
01-7715123
637 Holloway Road London N19 5SS
01-272 6398
I enclose my order for the above products.
Name
Address.
Signed-
SERIOUS SOrrWARE from
BEEBUGSOFT.
Masterfile
MASTERFILE is a general purpose data base, written especially for the BBC Micro. It is extremely useful
allowing vast amounts of information to be quickly stored.
Once set up, the information may be retrieved or sorted at any time, in a number of different ways using
any of the fields as keys.
Records may be instantly displayed or printed, using any printer suitable for the BBC Micro also a label
printing facility is included.
Separate versions of the program are available for cassette and disc based systems. The disc version uses
random access files to maximise record storage.
One extra feature of the disc version is that it provides limited spreadsheet facilities.
Spellcheck
SPELLCHECK is menu driven, and is the ideal companion for
WORDWISE or VIEW. It provides an automatic spelling check
for letters or documents.
It is supplied with a dictionary disc already containing 6000
words, which may be increased to a maximum of about 17,000
words on a 100k disc.
Random access files ensure very fast word retrieval from the
dictionary disc.
SPELLCHECK is menu driven, and is very simple to use, all-
owing unknown words to be added to the dictionary, ignored or
re-spelt.
Incorrectly spelt words may be instantly respelt and a correct
version of the document filed away, ready for printing or later
use.
Dictionary discs for foreign languages may easily be created to
help check letters sent abroad.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
The cassette version will allow
up to 10 fields to be specified per
record. Any number of files may
be set up, and each file may hold
about 110 records (based on a
typical 5 field record).
The disc version allows up to
17 fields per record, and the only
limitation as to the number of
records, is the capacity of the disc.
Typically, using 5 fields, about
2000 records may be stored on a
100k disc.
".... Works well and offers an
efficient data base...."
PCN NOVEMBER 1984
BEEBUGSOFT, P.O. BOX 109, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS. HP10 8HQ
Please send me Spellchecks at £19.00 each Masterfile disc{s) at £19.00 each.
Masterfile cassette(s) at £10.00 each.
Name
Address
All BEEBUGSOFT products are
available from leading dealeis including
larger branches of W.H. Smith "^
Send Chegue/Fostal Orders To BEEBUGSOFT, DEPT. 1 3 P.O. BOX 1 09, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS. HPIO SHQ
(Distribulion agents for BEEBUG Publications Ltd.)
48
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1964
TOOLKIT ROM from
BEEBUQSOFT
BASIC Programmer's Aid for
the BBC micro
27 new commands to make life easier
Saves hours in program development and debugging
Supports both cassette and disc systems
No command name conflict with other Roms
Ideal for expert and novice alike
Fitting instructions and a 32 page manual supplied
You'll wonder how you ever managed without it
SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE
SCREEN EDITOR An extremely
powerful editor, allowing the use of
cursor keys to list a program line-by-
line in either direction and move to
any part of a program to overtype
or insert new code and corrections.
ERROR DETECTION Powerful
facility to trap an error in a Basic
program as it runs. It will then auto-
matically enter the Screen Editor,
display the line in error and position
the cursor close to the statement at
fault.
"TOOLKIT is an essential utility
for all Basic programmers using
the BBC Micro. . . . The range is
enormous. ... an indispensable aid
packed full of powerful utilities,"
EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING MARCH 1984
highly recommended."
PCN MARCH 17 1984
'The Beebugsoft Toolkit costs
£27 and in my opinion is worth
every penny. Since it has been
installed in my BBC it has been
used extensively and I can find no
fault with it. Highly recommended
to lazy programmers!"
COMPUTING TODAY JUNE 1984
COMMANDS
'CHECK Verify a program or data in memory with disc /cassette.
'CLEAR Clear all variables including integers.
•EDIT Enter full screen editor.
'FREE Display free memory and pseudo variables.
'HELP INFO Display a screenful of useful system information.
'MEMORY Display memory contents.
'MERGE Merge a program in memory with one on disc/cassette.
'MOVE Move program to run at specified address.
'NEW As NEW, but can be issued from within a program.
'OFF Cancel enhanced error handling.
'OLD As OLD, but can be issued from within a program.
•ON Auto error handling— enters editor at line in error.
•PACK Efficient program compactor
•RECOVER Intelligently recover bad programs.
•RENUMBER Allow partial renumbering.
•REPORT Extended error reporting facility.
•SCREEN Screen dump to cassette or disc.
'UTIL Display utilities menu.
•UTIL 1 String search.
'UTIL 2 String search and replace.
'UTIL 3 Move Basic program lines.
•UTIL 4 List procedures and functions.
•UTIL 5 List values of A% to Z%.
•UTIL 6 List numeric variables.
•UTIL 7 List string variables.
'UTI L 8 List names of arrays.
'UTIL 9 Set up range for utilities 1 and 2.
BEEBUGSOFT, PO BOX 109, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS HP10 8HQ
Please send me Toolkit(s) at £27.00 each
Name
Address
Send Cheque/Postal Order to BEEBUGSOFT
DEPT 13 , PO BOX 109, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS HP10 8HQ
{Distribution agents for BEEBUG Publications Ltd.)
SEE ALSO BEEBUGSOFT DOUBLE COLOUR ADVERT IN THIS ISSUE
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Available from your dealer
and selected branches of
W.H Smiths /^
£27.00 ftj
Including
VAT 8. P&P
I
I
I
I
I
49
HINTS &TIPS
I
Tricks up Martin Phillips' sleeve
ir^clude fast random numbers, real
numbers, drive and printer checks
and how to save ribbon outlay
^^
Stepping through
a listing
BEING able to slow listings down or
stop them when the screen scrolls is
obviously a useful facility. The easiest
way to do this is to put the computer into
what is called 'page mode'. This is
done by keeping the control key
pressed while the letter 'N' is pressed
(usually this is referred to as CTRL-N).
This will stop the computer listing a
whole program without stopping. The
computer stops when about two-thirds
of the screen is full of information, and
the next part of the listing will only
appear when the SHIFT key is pressed.
To switch page mode off, it is necessary
touseCTRL-0.
However, when checking a long list-
ing, page mode is not the complete
answer. Paul Hoigate has sent a useful
function key definition program (listing
1) that allows the user to step through a
program a few lines at a time. When
function key fO is pressed, a list com-
mand is inserted into the function key
buffer and the screen cleared. It will list
agroupof lines in multiples of 10 from
to 9 each time key fO is pressed. The
start line number is held in the integer
variable L%, and this is incremented
each time the key is pressed. To enable
any starting point to be used for listing,
key f1 has been defined to input the
start point from where the listing is to
run. Key f1 must be used before
attempting to step through a listing. The
usual start point will be at line 10,
although listings can start at line 0.
This routine could be modified to
step back through the listing by defin-
ing another key similarly, but decreas-
ing L% by 10 each time the key is
pressed.
Essential brackets
I Afvl indebted to Paul Hoigate for also
supplying the following item. There are
cases where opening brackets are
actually part of the Basic keyword. With
such keywords, the inclusion of brack-
ets is essential. Also there must be no
space between the keyword and the
bracket,
The following keywords require
brackets:
RND LEFTS MID$ RIGHTS
STRINGS INSTR POINT TAB
Brackets may be omitted after the fol-
lowing keywords:
ABS
EVAL
INT
SGN
VAL
ADVAL ASC CHRS
EXP INKEY INKEYS
LEN OPENIN OPENOUT
SPC STRS USR
Brackets may also be omitted from the
mathematical keywords:
ACS ASM ATN COS
DEG LN LOG RAD
SIN SOR TAN
Random numbers
with strings
I WAS interested to see the routine for
obtaining a 'perfect' sequence of 10
random numbers with no repeats in
June's Beeb Forum (page 57). It oc-
r
SbI
^-^
1^2^^^-^
f
m
w^
\
^^
W/^mf/
x^
^^
The ideal method tor card games . . .
'm:m
■■■■■
■■■■■■■^■n^
l^iiU[^l[gi!!|li
□
□
See yellow pages v and
vi for all programs
relating to this section
curred to me that the string functions
could be used to perform a similar task.
BBC Basic has quite a useful range of
string-handling routines, many of
which are underused,
Listing 2 shows my method. It is
shorter than the Beeb Forum listing,
which for the sake of completeness is
repeated (listing 3). To my surprise, it is
also on average 10 times as fast! Speed
of performance was rather difficult to
measure, as each run varied consider-
ably depending on the luck of the draw.
I therefore ran each routine 100 times
to find the total time taken.
Listing 4 is included to show the idea
forthose interested.
This way of selecting a random
sequence would be ideal in card
games, as it is easy to include the jack,
queen and king.
Listing 5 shows how this could be
done. Notice that in line 80 the test to
see if the number is already present
includes the following space. This
overcomes a problem that the test does
not recognise the actual number but
just a digit. In this example we need to
includea 10.
The test as it stands in listing 2 will
see a 1 present when it is meant to be a
10, The inclusion of the following space
in the test prevents this from happen-
ing.
Listing 6 shows how the technique
can then be extended to a full pack of
cards. Surprisingly, it takes only some
5-10secondstoselectafull pack.
I hope these short programs will
make readers take another look at
strings and their possible uses, and
maytje those who discover novel string
applications will be prompted to send
them in,
page 51 ►■
IF YOU have a technical hitch or a programming problem let Martin Phillips give his
diagnosis. We'll pay £5 if you raise a really interesting point. Please give full details
of the system you're using and include a listing where appropriate, making your ques-
tion as specific as possible. WRITE TO: Hints & Tips, Acorn User, Redwood Publishing,
68 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JH.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
HINTS &TIPS
VDU in command
MORE and more programs are making
use of VDU commands to replace those
Basic keywords that are concerned
with printing on the screen. Consider
the following line from a program:
10 VDU12,31, 10,10,72.69,76,76,79
This line will clear the screen, move to
the position 10.10 and print the word
'HELLO' on the screen. However, it is
not clear what the line does, unless one
is familiar with all the ASCII codes and
the VDU codes. It can be made more
readable by using a print statement:
10VDU12,31,10,10:PRINT"HELLO"
We could go a stage further and
remove the VDU command altogether:
10CLS:PRINTTAB(10,10)"HELLO"
Now the line is far simpler to under-
stand. There must be an advantage to
using the former method -memory
perhaps. The first line of code took 34
bytes of memory, the second 28 bytes
and the third only 24. Point taken?
VDU commands have their rightful
place in programming, but use them
with care and ensure they do not hinder
understanding of the program.
Campaign for
real numbers
SEVERAL readers have had difficulty
with money programs that will work out
VAT and check totals etc. The problem
was first highlighted in this column in
December 1983. It is a problem that can
affect many program applications, and
many new readers have joined Acorn
User since last year, so I make no
apologies for repeating the point.
How do the BBC and the Electron
handle numbers? Well, they differen-
tiate between two types of numbers:
real, which can contain a fractional
part, and integers, which are whole
numbers. Integer variables are dis-
tinguished by having a % sign as the
last character of the variable name: eg,
number% and count%. They can store
only numbers between -2,147,483,648
and 2,147,483,647, Integer variables
are stored with complete accuracy and
are operated on more speedily by the
computer.
There are also 27 integer variables
which the User Guide calls the Resi-
dent Integer Variables. They are A% to
Z% and @%. and have a permanently
allocated space in memory. As a result,
their values are not lost when RUN or
NEW are entered, or even BREAK is
pressed. This enables values to be
carried by these variables from one
program to another. (Have you ever
wondered how the WELCOME tape
remembers whether your cassette has
motor control from one program to
another? It uses the resident integer
variable M% to inform each individual
program.) The @% variable has a
special function, as we'll see.
Real numbers with a value between 2
X 1Cand2 x IQ-^^ can be stored by
the computer and can include negative
numbers. The disadvantage with real
numbers is that they can be stored only
to nine-figure accuracy, (Basic 2, the
version of Basic present on the Elec-
tron and new BBCs, will work to a 10-
figure accuracy.)
The numbers must be converted to
binary before being stored and this
leads to many problems. Some
numbers cannot be represented with
complete accuracy this way. This is a
similar problem to the recurring deci-
mal found when 10 is divided by 3 or
when trying to calculate exactly the
value for the ratio of diameter to cir-
cumference of a circle. This ratio.
called pi. is a never-ending decimal,
and can never be represented with
total accuracy.
To illustrate the difficulty of storing
and retrieving numbers accurately look
at listings 7 to 9, Listing 7 works as one
would expect, but with only a slight
change in numbers listing 8 does not
give the correct result. It is interesting
to print out the values for A, B and C and
see what happens to them. Listing 9 will
dothis,Toadd to the confusion, we find
that it prints out the correct values even
though the program has given the
wrong result!
Before you throw your computer
away and rush out to buy another make
I should point out that this program will
not function correctly on the majority of
other micros. The reason is that the
computer has a routine built into the
PRINT statement to check for the
correct errors in number storage and
retrieval. Unfortunately there are no
such routines in the equals, greater
than or less than operators and these
give rise to problems, particularly
when trying to perform money calcula-
tions.
There are two possible ways round
the problem. The first is to multiply the
real numbers by 100 and work in
integer arithmetic. To display the
results divide them by 100. For the sake
of simplicity we are assuming that half-
pence will be ignored. Listing 10 gives
an illustration of this method. Using the
print format variable (@%), the figures
are printed out to two decimal places.
By using integer arithmetic it is poss-
ible to store values up to 2 million
pounds accurate to the nearest penny.
This method as it stands is not fool-
proof, as real numbers still have to be
stored in memory, Try adding C29.49
and CIO, To get around this, instead of
multiplyinganddividingby 100, change
the program to multiply and divide by
1000, This means that the real number
is converted with a ten-fold greater
accuracy, (It now also enables half-
pence to be entered)
The other cure is to use a relative test
rather than trying to equate two totals
exactly. As any value less than £0.005
has no significance in our monetary
system, we can utilise this to provide a
better test for totals agreeing: Listing 11
shows how this can be done. The ABS
statement ensures that the test will
work if either total is larger.
Disc detector
ON A BBC machine fitted with disc
interface it is often useful to detect the
presence of a disc drive during a pro-
gram, say to give the option to save
data on either disc or cassette. A way to
do this is to assume that if a disc drive is
fitted then the program will have been
loaded from disc. If this is the case then
'0PT2,1 can be used to differentiate
between disc and cassette. It will give
an error message with a disc filing
system, but not with the cassette filing
system. It gives error number 203 (bad
option) with disc.
This could be detected to differen-
tiate between tape or disc, or the line
number at which the error occurred can
be detected as in listing 12, To check
that listing 12 will work (on a disc
machine of course) type RUN, then
press BREAK, which will rerun the pro-
gram but with tape option selected.
The computer will remember the last
error line until either a new error
occurs or BREAK is pressed. This is
why the BREAK key has been used in
this program.
Printer check
SOME programs that make use of a
printer tend to hang up if no printer is
present. There's no easy way of getting
out of such a situation at the time. It is
better to include a routine in these pro-
grams that checks to see if a printer is
connected first. The ADVAL statement
can be used to check whether a printer
is connected and switched on, and a
little-known use for the statement is to
check the state of the various buffers.
ADVAL(-4) will check the state of the
print buffer.
Listing 13 shows the technique. Two
spaces (code 32) are sent to the printer
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
HINTS &TIPS
I
only (two are necessary as the first one
disappears somewhere down the line
and does not stay in the buffer), and
then the buffer is tested to see whether
it is empty. If it is, a value of 63 will be
returned. If the space is held in the buf-
fer then the value returned will be 62.
This idea is easy to incorporate into
programs.
Ribbon rewind
HERE is a tip that will double the life of
some printer ribbons. Dot matrix
printers use a continuous ribbon in a
cartridge, which can often be prised
open to get at the concertina'd ribbon,
When the printing is becoming faint and
a new ribbon is needed, try opening the
cartridge and removing the ribbon. Re-
place the ribbon upside down and re-
wind the ribbon back into the cartridge.
This trick works because many printers
do not print in the middle of the ribbon,
but near one edge, so reversing the
ribbon allows the other edge to be
used. Some cartridges are better
designed, however, and the ribbon
already has a half twist in it so that the
top and bottom of the ribbon are both
used - in which case this tip is no use!
Cassettes
under scrutiny
THE weakest link in the BBC or Elec-
tron computer system is the tape
recorder. Cassette players were
designed for audio work as a low-cost,
miniature alternative to the reel-to-reel
tape recorder. When used with a com-
puter, the cassette is pushed to the limit
of its performance. It is no use dusting
off an old cassette that has long since
seen better days, and wondering why
no programs load from it. The cassette
needs to be in tip-top condition.
However, problems can occur, even
with new cassette recorders. Mr
Brazier of Kent sent in a tape that would
not load a program he had saved. On
listening to the tape a rhythmic beat
could be heard on top of the normal
tone.
This, I suspect is caused by one of
two things. First, leaving the cassette's
Play button down after the program has
loaded. On a cassette that has motor
control, this is all to easy to do-one
simply forgets to switch off the
cassette. Inside the mechanism is a
rubber wheel which presses hard
against the driving spindle when the
cassette is in the Play or Record pos-
itions, and this assembly regulates the
speed of the tape. If the rubber wheel is
left in contact with the spindle for some
time while the motor control is off, then
a depression will form in the wheel that
will usually spring out again in the
course of time (but not always!). If the
cassette is used in this condition, the
sound will be distorted and load and
save errors will be produced.
The second cause could be a small
piece of dirt stuck to either the rubber
wheel or the spindle, or even damage
to one or the other. Similarly the tape
speed will be uneven and cause tape
faults.
Speedy circles
MR GLOVER of London has sent in two
methods for speeding up circles. The
first (listing 14) uses the trigonometric
identities:
C0S(n+1)x
SINnx'SINx
SIN(n-M}x
COSnx'SINx
COSnx ' COSx
SINnx * COSx
The calculation of COS( ) and SIN( ) is
done only once and the loop involves
only multiplication, addition and sub-
traction, so the circle is drawn faster.
Listing 15 is even faster and would be
very effective for a program that
needed to draw many circles. The
appropriate sine and cosine values are
read into an array, which is then used in
the circle procedure. This routine is
slow, however, if the time taken to put
the values into the array is also taken
into account.
The on/off
dilemma
MR SMITH from Surrey writes: I am in
the habit of leaving my BBC micro
switched on for up to 10 hours at a time.
This is mainly for convenience of use,
but also because I believe it to be bad
'Component overheating
is a sure way to
reduce life-span'
practice to switch the machine on and
off too often -I understand that the
stress caused by heat/cooling is one of
the main reasons for early failure of
electronic components.
'My question is: would it make sense
to leave the machine (only) switched on
continuously, even overnight? Does an
unattended BBC present any kind of
fire risk?'
The usual way the life of an elec-
tronic assembly is calculated is not in
terms of the times it is switched on and
off, but in terms of the number of hours
of use, and how close each component
is to its maximum operating conditions
in use. Component overheating is a
sure way to reduce life-span. If the
components never get too hot then
there will be less chance of premature
failure, or stresses caused by healing
and cooling, so my advice to Mr Smith
is switch off the computer if he is not
going to use it for some time.
Modern components are designed to
withstand the stresses caused by heat-
ing and cooling within their normal
working temperature range, and
damage occurs only when the tem-
peratures rise above this range. To
leave the computer on continuously
will reduce the life of the computer
ratherthan extend it.
There is always a possibility of fire
risk with electrical equipment, and
unless the equipment is designed for
continuous use it is far better to switch
off when not in use, although I have
never heard of a BBC bursting into
flames.
Mr Smith's computer has one of the
old linear power supplies which gets
very hot, and he also asks what the
signs are of the power supply being
overloaded as more and more ROMs
and other devices are added that draw
on the power from the power supply.
The answer is unpredictable behaviour
on the part of the computer, or a total
failure to work. These could be symp-
toms of many specific faults, but an
overloaded power supply will cause
errors to occur in many parts of the
computer. If the linear power supply
(these are usually black as opposed to
the gold colouring of the switched-
mode power supplies) gets very hot
then it would be wise to have it re-
placed before it fails and possibly
damages the rest of the computer. A
local Acorn service agent will be able
to do this.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
/J^^^^^^C CBM64 SPECTRUM 0RIC1 LYNX A/4 o^i^KfQw^
Trapped in a fiendish Level 9 Adventure?
Your lamp burning low? Every exit guarded?
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(Don't forget to send a stamped self-addressed
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— Midweek, 10 May 84
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' the 'Lords of Adventure'. ','
'\ — Central Press Features, April 84 i
It.
"Play Lords of Time and get nine times the pleasure!*'
— Your Computer, May 84
AVAILABLE FROM: WH Smith and good computer
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If your local dealer doesn't stock Level 9
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r\.
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A CHEQUE/PO FOR £9.90
Si
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EACH
My name: . . .
My address; .
My micro is a:
(one of those listed on the arch above,
with at least 32K of memory).
Contact;
LEVEL 9 COMPUTING
Dept. A, 229, Hughenden Road
High Wycombe. Bucks. HP13 SPG
Telephone: (0494) 26871
K
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
53
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• Based on an allophone system you can easily
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Postage and Packing
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'^end cheque/PO now to ■
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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@0.34
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@0 34
@0.34
@0.34
@-
@0.3S
Sockets.
35 each
0.08 each
C.21 each
0.08 each
0.40 each
42 each
0.40 each
40 each
45 each
45 each
— each
0.4B each
} 8.00 each
j 0.42 each
J 0.42 each
5 105 each
i 1 .24 each
i! O.et each
9 0.B7 each
HOW TO ORDER:
By Post. Enclose your Cheque/P.O. made payable to:
CARE Electronics,
Or use your ACCESS. Allow 7 days for delivery. Please add carriage.
Disc Drives @ E8.00 Other Products @ £3.00.
Q
58
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
my\ I ^
How I became
an expert
in piracy
Sir. Concerning your recent
letters on software piracy. I felt
compelled to write to you. I am
a 15-year-old schoolboy who
has a BBC and disc drive. To
begin with, I had no pro-
fessionally produced software
at all. Then a friend lent me a
tape containing Acornsoft's
Defender (now Planetoid, of
cou rse) , Snapper. Monsters.
and Bug-Byte's Space Pirates.
I enjoyed playing these, but
then had to give the tape back.
I had no knowledge of tape-
copying so I had to do without
them.
1 thought so much of
Oefenc/erthat I ordered it from
Acornsoft and was very happy
with it. I then learnt the
basics of tape-copying, which,
believe it or not, I heard a
computer games magazine
reviewer mention at a com-
puter show. He sard he pirated
any game he reviewed! I
bought a few more games
every so often, and then
received a disc drive, when I
found none of the games
would work on disc, I picked up
the tape-to-disc techniques
and now I am fairly proficient
in tape-disc transfer. Funnily
enough, the clever tape pro-
tection I meet doesn't stop me
copying the tape, it merely
makes it difficult to get onto
disc!
If you think about it, as long
as there are people who want
software, the industry will sur-
vive. After all, if there are no
new games to copy, everyone,
pirates included, will want to
buy some new games, and so
a company would spring up to
satisfy the demand.
As long as companies push
out second-rate software I will
not hesitate to copy programs.
Also, it is a fascinating pastime
to break protection (well, I
think so).
Anyway, I have spent £150
on games in all. I have been
satisfied with all Acornsoft (six
tapes, one disc) and Program
Power (two tapes) I have
bought, but that is all. I have
around 200 plus games pro-
grams now, of which very few
are any good at all. I probably
would have spent even more
money on poor games if I had
not learnt about tape-copying,
I have spent E70 on ROMs and
have been pleased with those,
although I have many pirated
ROMs.
Anon
If s quite a joke in Oz
Sir, It is quite amusing -no, no
I'll have to say hilarious -to
read the complaint letters from
your English resident readers
on the subject of software
prices and piracy. Oh yes, we
really are laughing, I can tell
you!
No seriously, it is quite a
joke here in Oz (that's short for
Australia), you guys always
complaining about paying E8
or £9 for the average games
software; and Wordwise or
View ROMs for mere pittances
of E32,
I just thought I'd clear the air
down there in Pommie Land by
telling ya's all that up here we
pay about £25 for things like
Pacman, space invaders and
sliding puzzles (all Acornsoft,
of course), and about £70 for
excellent (but not worth it)
products like View. Even the
computer itself costs about
£800 for a model A, while
Epson FX80 printers (at least, I
think they're FX80s!) cost
about £600, and for some
reason the average daisy-
wheel printer costs about
£650.
So much for 6502 second
processors, modems and Bit-
stik graphics programs! Often
the only way to get any pro-
grams at all is by resorting to
that bugbear of all software
manufacturers, piracy.
So if you guys think you've
got problems, ha, ha, ha. Say,
how about some of you English
software firms like Program
Power, or Superior Software,
or anybody-p/ease-trying to
break this damnable mono-
poly over here and bring in
some rationality to the not
insubstantial Australian com-
puter market. At the very least,
you're bound to make a for-
tune!
Tim Parsons
Hobart. Tasmania
Protection: the
big challenge
Sir, I am a pirate, and have
long been one. I regard any
new development in protec-
tion as an intellectual chal-
lenge, and I haven't failed yet.
With regard to self-destruct'
devices to prevent copying of
EPROMs, how then will it know
when to self-destruct if it can-
not distinguish between the
CPU accessing it to execute
the program within it. and
accessing it to copy it?
Having said all this. I do
make some defence. I don't
sell the software I pirate, I
merely copy it for my own and
my friends' use - and most of it
doesn't get used. Most of the
games sold are not worth the
disc space required to keep
them. The prices charged,
especially by some com-
panies, for sloppily coded,
badly packaged rubbish are
extortionate in the extreme,
and, after buying three games
since receiving my BBC. I
vowed never again to buy a
piece of software.
To close, I would like to say
to all software houses; get
your act together, bring out
some decent software for a
reasonable price, instead of
wasting money on develop-
ing ineffective 'anti-copying'
devices, and I might just
change my mind.
Anon
Gwynedd
For a tidier
key strip
Sir, I should like to offer a
small improvement to the
function key strip program
written by Andrew Britton (July
issue, yellow page I). I have
made a slight change to line
330 so that the text is centred
within the boxes.
The additions are as fol-
lows:
■+■
330 FORN% = 1TO10:READ
! INSERT ' DEFAULT '
I MODE ' RULER
HIGHLIGHT ' HIGHLIBHT !
1 ' 2 !
.+ tJ
Detail of the key strip
A$:1 = INT((n-LEN(A$))/2)
335 PRINT"! ";SPC(1);
A$;SPC(n-(LEN(A$)+1));:
NEXT:PRINT"!"
I hope users will make what is
already an excellent and use-
ful little program a little more
pleasing.
K Stephenson
Cumbria
Copying ROIVI
Sir. In reply to G Dubber (June
issue), the introduction of side-
ways RAM boards may be
seen as a threat by manufac-
turers of ROMed software, but
they would be foolish to follow
his advice.
I bought my sideways RAM
as an extremely versatile
alternative to a normal side-
ways ROM board and I would
be less than delighted if my
investment were rendered
useless for future ROMs. Since
most ROMed programs tend to
be duplicated by other soft-
ware houses (lots of wordpro-
cessors and databases to
choose from) I will buy those
that allow me to use my pro-
gram as I see fit -after all it is
my program unless I try to sell
it illegally.
P Faskett
Liverpool
Offensive weapon
Sir, Have you noticed the
unsubtle advertising for edu-
cational software on the BBC
micro? At the top of one cata-
logue there is a pun.
Is this a symbol that should
be associated with teaching?
Children are readily influ-
enced by what they see on
computers and there are
enough zap and kill games
already. There is no need to
bring weapons into the edu-
cation environment.
M Richards
(Teacher)
Sussex
The source
Sir. I have solved 90 per cent of
the software piracy problem
on 8-bit based micros. Ninety
per cent of programs do not
use overlays, and therefore
exist completely within the 64k
addressable by the 8-bit
microprocessor. Now each bit
(there are 64x1024x8 bits
available) can be set either to
or 1- There are therefore 2 to
the power 64x1024x8 possible
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Haifa box
is better
than one?
25s/sd/ddisks + box £29
plusVATandP + P
25d/sd/ddisks + box£39
plus VAT andP + P
We ran the advertisement opposite to move some stock left from a
cancelled order. And move them it certainly did. We're still selling around
30 boxes a day, that's over 30,000 disks a month. So we bought some more,
and are going to continue selling at the same price.
We also got a lot of people on the phone asking if we could supply slightly
fewer disks, and as you see, we're now offering boxes in 25's as well.
Every order of 25 or 50 comes packed in the same rigid plastic storage box
with four dividers, we've kept the same high specification and all disks
carry our two for one guarantee.
To order, just clip the coupon below. Personal callers welcome.
We accept orders from all government bodies, schools, universities, libraries, armed forces
etc. We despatch on receipt of an official purchase order.
If you can't raise a cheque without an invoice please post or telephone your order and we'll
send you a proforma by return.
Disco Technology Limited, Lex House, 3/6 Alfred Place,
London WCl, England. Telephone 01-631 0255,
50 s/s d/d disks + box £50
plusVATandP + P
50 d/s d/d disks + box £75
plusVATandP + P
Please rush me
(qty) storage box(es) filled with 50 s/sided disks at £59.50 each.
(qty) storage box(es) filled with 50 d/sided disks at £87.25 each.
(qty) storage box(es) filled with 25 s/sided disks at £33.65 each.
(qty) storage box(es) filled with 25 d/sided disks at £47 . 1 5 each .
(qty) empty storage box(es) at £ 1 1 .
Prices include VAT and P + P. I enclose cheque for
or debit my Access card no. ^
Name ^
Signature
Address
Postcode
Telephone
To: Disco Technology Ltd, Lex House, 3/6 Alfred Place, London WCl.
xim
I
iO REM Freak Out by R. Newman
20 FOR X~200 ID SOO STEP 23
30 FOR Y^200 TO 600 S i tP 17
40 S'OUND 1,-1 b , X * y , i
50 ne;xi v,x
Breaking point
Listing 1 . Robin Newman's noisy demonstration of nested loops
combinations, and these must
include every program that
can ever be written for any
8-bit microprocessor.
My micro is currently acting
as a program generator, list-
ing all the possible combi-
nations, and therefore I will
soon possess the copyright on
all programs not yet written. I
am following standard micro-
computer business practice in
that I am announcing these
programs slightly before they
are finished, and most of them
will eventually prove to be
useless rubbish, nevertheless
they are mine, all mine.
The solution to the piracy
problem is that I hereby give
my permission for anybody to
copy any of my programs so
produced.
G Swain
Berks
Secrets of the
floating point
Sir, I have a number of large
programs half-vifritten for my
BBC model B but they must al I
be converted to machine-code
as they are far too slow in
Basic, however well written.
The problem is that they all
require floating-point math-
ematical functions that are in
the Basic ROM.
I wrote to Acorn asking for
the addresses of these rou-
tines and how to use them but
they said that there was no
data sheet available on either
Basic ROM. Commodore sup-
plied the equivalent infor-
mation on its Vic-20 for Nick
Hampshire's Vic Revealed, as
did Sinclair for Toni Baker's
Mastering Machine-Code on
YourZX81 or ZX80 50 I see no
reason for Acorn to withhold
this for the BBC micro.
I could write routines for
multiplication and division of
floating-point numbers but
these would be useless with-
out the trig and log routines.
I am therefore writing to you.
asking if either you or any of
your readers can help both
myself and, I am sure, many
other people, with this prob-
lem,
Nell Howard
Herts
Sir, In the July Acorn User a
reference is made to using
CALL 1-4 as a software substi-
tute for pushing the BREAK
key. This should be used with
care, as it can have unwanted
side-effects, since the BREAK
key also provides hardware
resets to certain chips in the
Beeb besides the 6502 micro-
processor. Often there will be
no discernible difference, but
it is advisable to disable the
NMI system by setting &D00 to
&40 (RTI) immediately before
making this call to prevent the
disc or Econet from crashing
the system.
Also, users with Econet and
the new DNFS ROM will find
that Econet disappears com-
pletely if you type CALLI-4.
This is because the ROM
checks that the Econet 68B54
exists in a reset state when it
initialises, and if itdoesn'tthen
it switches out the Econet half
of the ROM! This is so that the
ROM can be used on disc-only
machines.
Both these precautions are
contained in the following
code, which I have found to
work satisfactorily without
problems:
.break LDA#&40:STA&D00:
LDA^&CO:STA&FEAO:
JMP(&FFFC)
Storing &C0 in &FEAO initia-
lises the Econet so that DNFS
stillthinksit'sthere!
On a completely different
tack, the sound effects on
Yellow Pages XVI of the July
issue reminded me of a very
simple yet effective program
that I use when teaching about
nested FOR . . . NEXT loops
(listing 1). It speaks for itself,
lasting about 48 seconds. It is
worth pointing out that the step
sizes should both be prime
numbersfor maximum variety.
Robin Newman
Peterborough
Better chess
Sir, In the March 1983 Acorn
User there was a review of
three different chess pro-
grams by Computer Concepts,
fi/fate in two moves (three-ply)
Mate in three moves (five-ply) \
New version 1 m in 41 sees
New version
27mins38secs
— correct
—correct
Old version 22 sees
Oldversion
test not given
— correct
Program Power
Chess
49mins
Mate in two moves (three-ply)
— correct
New version 59 sees
Acornsoft Chess
35mins
— correct
— correct
Oldversion 18secs
White Knight
IS sees
— incorrect
—correct
Program Power and Bug-Byte.
Computer Concept's Chess
was the earlier version 2.32 CI
but there is a new version 2.32/
1 E/A, which provides a few
more facilities.
I decided to put this new pro-
gram through some of the tests
that the other programs were
put through. The results are
recorded above:
The new version is much im-
proved, allowing a Blitz game
to be played and OS com-
mands to be entered during
the program. I have been very
satisfied with this program and
I would recommend it.
Duncan Miles
Kent
Computers in adult literacy
Sir, Jonathan Read's article on
computer applications in adult
literacy {Acorn User, June) not
only reflects how far behind
the primary sector we are in
terms of software experience,
it also highlights the lack of
fluent dialogue between Adult
Basic Education tutors and
software designers.
A root cause of this impover-
ished state of affairs is the
patchy nature of computer-
related inservice training
funding for ABE, but then it
could be argued that there is
no cohesive demand from the
scattered full (but mainly part-
time) ranks of professional
(mainly women) tutors plus the
hidden army of volunteers.
Furthermore, it does not make
for good economics in terms of
college survival to cater for the
Have Nots.
Jonathan Read might bene-
fit from being made aware of
the qualitative non-didactic
methodology of the many ABE
tutors, whose primary re-
source for materials acquisi-
tion lies in the students'
own vocabulary rather than
books per se. Some excellent
examples of print-based
materials along these lines
can be found at the Gaddum
Centre, Deansgate, Manches-
ter.
His statement 'The students
waste a lot of time trying to
hide their ignorance from the
tutor and themselves' and also
that it is 'no help to the
students to be given work that
they already know since they
are bound to get it right' sug-
gests that he may also benefit
from an appreciation of ABE
training methods in student/
tutor relationships and confi-
dence-building techniques,
To state that- the computer
has more of the human quali-
ties of patience than an ABE
tutor and more flexibility may
be a little misleading and may
not inspire ABE tutors to warm
to their use. It may be more
helpful for tutors to find out
how the computer can be a
powerful optional resource
rather than a teaching
machine (as implied by
Jonathan Read), that may do
many of them out of the few
part-time hours they are
grimly hanging on to.
There is always a place for
specific drill and practice pro-
grams like flashcards, in spite
of comments like paper flash-
card are 10 a penny. What use
a computer?' However, some
ABE tutors might like to see a
new generation of programs
which allow greater creative
control of the text by the
students, while others might
be interested in group prob-
lem-solving activities that are
life skills related. Whateverthe
case, there is much that can be
learned from the primary
sector, whose software I am
familiar with, provided an
adult context is adopted.
Eileen Fawcett
Secretary, Computers in Adult
Basic Education
15BerbiceRoad
Liverpool L180HU
ASK a silly question, pass a fair comment, stage an angry
protest -we don't mind what you write to us about (or about
us!). Keep 'em short, keep 'em sweet, but keep 'em coming!
The address is: Letters, Acorn User, Redwood Publishing,
68 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JH.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
The Incredible
HULK
(£25 + VAT)
HULK is the poor man's knowledge engineer. Knowl-
edge engineering is the new approach to software design
which underlies the dramatic success of recent expert
systems.
The HULK package (so called because it Helps Uncover
Latent Knowledge) offers users of the BBC and Torch
microcomputers a low-cost route into knowledge engineer-
ing. It will enable you to build up and test a set of decision
rules which can be used for prediction or classification. Thus
HULK takes the donkey work out of developing a 'knowl-
edge base'.
This is what the Practical Computing software review
said about HULK:
"It is very quick and interactive and justifies its
name - it does help uncover latent knowledge. '
"It can genuinely help people to make sound
decisions -and bad decisions are extremely costly
in many enterprises." (March 1984 issue).
HULK is available at £28.75 including VAT for BBC/B
(preferably with disks) or Torch microcomputers. We will
also make it available for the QL as soon as Uncle Clive lets
us have one! Cheque/PO with order form:
Warm Boot Limited
40 Bowling Green Lane
London EC1 R ONE (01 -278 0333).
[We can also supply xForth at £65 + VAT and BDS C Com-
piler at £1 1 + VAT in Torch disc format.]
^M SPECIAL REDUCTION
DISC DRIVES FOR £. -
BBC COMPUTERS
BBC
MICROCOMPUTER
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*Sideways ROM expansion lo 16 ROM's, all sockets software
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*Unique two circuit board design requiring the minimum
amount of space within the computer.
*System can be purchased for EXTERNAL or INTERNAL
use with the BBC micro.
♦External board mounted in a smart open based purpose built
box, colour matched to the BBC micro.
*N0 soldering, plug in design.
*Plugs into the CPU socket using IC socket compatible
pinouts.
*FuIl instructions provided.
♦Buffered minimising the loading on the computers Internal
circuitry.
•Minimal power consumption when board fully populated.
*Fully compatible with all ROM's/EPROM's.
AVAILABLE SOON (on external system):
RAM Expansion module. Combined EPROM eraser/
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PRICE (inclusive): External system £59.95 + £2p&p
Internal system £47.95 + £1 p&p
PAYMENT: Send your remittance (cheques/PO only please)
with your order lo:
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62
BBC 32k Electron
Imaginative educational programmes from
LEARIMWELL
DISCOVERY
An educational game to develop language skills in context. Discover the
concealed answer {up to 255 characters long) to a question by either buying
letters of the alphabet from your Jackpot or inserting words. Usmg the
question and answer formal children and adults learn words and spellings in
context. This programme is flexible enough to cope with any language level
or to cover any topic area, and will be an invaluable aid either in the classroom
or at home. Already used in schools throughout the country.
Ideal for group or individual use for anyone over the age of seven.
Full instfuctions supplied. Cassette price £9.50 inc.
SHAPE
Children distinguish between shapes and sizes as they create stunning full
colour designs or pictures directly through the keyboard. Creations can be
constructed using circles, squares and triangles or from using three thick-
nesses of line. Text also available. You may save your masterpieces on tape
when you have finished. No expensive extras to buy.
Full instructions supplied Cassette price £8.00 inc.
ZARGON
Defend the city against the Zargon attack.
A letter recognition/keyboard trainer which gets faster as you gel faster.
9 levels of difficulty. Superb graphics. Cassette price £4.99 inc.
I-SPY
(A game for two players)
A combination ofl-Spy and Snakes and Ladders, you take it in turn to guess
the word the computer is thinking of from the sound blend clues. Get the
answer right and you move up the board. Land on a diamond and up you go
again If you get the answer wrong don't worry, you will be given more clues
Contains 1 80 graded words. Colour and soft-sounds.
Value at only £4.99 inc.
CRUISER
A number equaliser that teaches the concept of addition and subtraction as
children play. Add or subtract from a number lo line up on a target.
Nice graphics and sound. 2 levels of difficulty. Value at £4.99 inc.
SUM UP
1 level of integer arithmetic { + . - - x . ^ ) laid out in conventional form.
Realistic rewards Cassette price £4.00 inc.
ALL PROGRAMMES DEVELOPED AND
TESTED IN CLASSROOMS
Available now from
LEARN WELL
1 52 Westmorland Road, Wyken, Coventry CV2 5BU
Please send details of your machine with cheques, P.O's etc,
BBC 32k Electron
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
Activity board
adjustments
Sir, I have discovered a few in-
consistencies between listing
1 and the text in my article on
the activity board project
(August issue)-
The final paragraph (page
113} should read as follows:
To change the sentences to
fit a new situation, change the
data lines 710 to 790. Type your
new title on line 710, followed
by your eight new sentences.
One important point - because
of the double-height letters,
the sentence must not be
longer than one line. If you
want single-height letters type
line 510 as follows:
510 PRINT B$(J)
and line 580 as follows:
580 PRINT D$(K)
and leave out li ne 590,
In addition, the program
analysis is one line behind the
listing from line 130 to 520 and
two lines behind from line 530
to the end.
Susan Kingsbury
Norfolk
Brother's buffer
a puff?
Sir, I enjoyed the On-line Type-
writer review in the July issue
but I was amused to see that
Barry Pickles has also been
taken in by the claims of the
advertisers of the Brother
EP44 that is 3-5k text buffer is
sufficient for 'about three
pages of A4', Of course it is
not. It gives only about one
paragraph overleaf from one
page of A4 single-spaced text.
and it is highly misleading of
Brother to suggest otherwise.
One line of average text on A4
takes about 60 characters,
even leaving a generous left
and right margin, and 60 lines
of text falls well within the
length ofanA4 page.
Apart from this major dis-
crepancy, which should be
brought to the attention of the
Advertising Standards people,
I find the machine lives up well
to the claims and reviews. Cer-
tainly the print quality is a
great improvement on that of
the EP22 and 20. But then look
at the extra cost!
J Watson
Herts
Kitty untangles
some of the
jargon for two
confused readers
HI must say I find my
new BBC B plus disc
drive a bit bewildering.
It is all very well to be
told to print '$":.,-/. But
what I want to know is why
these extraordinary symbols
are chosen and to do what
exactly -will I ever get to
know? How do you write a pro-
gram if you don't know what
CHR$ is actually doing?
Charles Berridge
Sussex
HYes, the symbols used
in many Basic pro-
grams can indeed be
very confusing and
seem to have been an odd
choice. The history behind
them is simply that the first
real computers were
American and they used the
standard American qwerty
typewriter keyboards: they
have S instead of E, for
example. Really, it's all quite
arbitrary - you just have to
accept and memorise each
symbol and what it does.
The various unfamiliar sym-
bols just act as a code to the
computer. The asterisk (')
usually signifies multiplication
but when used in front of a
word means that that word is
not a Basic command, but an
operating system command.
So any word with '*' in front of it
is dealt with by the operating
system chip instead of the
Basic chip. The slash (/),
meansdivide.
There are two kinds of vari-
ables in Basic: number and
string. Number variables con-
tain only numbers, whereas
string variables contain let-
ters, symbols or whole words.
The Beeb stores the two kinds
in different places and so
needs to be able to find them
again easily -this is where the
3 sign comes in. The $ Is used
to define a variable that is to
hold a series of characters
ratherthan a number, eg. AS =
"Charles".
Quotes are used to enclose
the characters so that they
appear on the screen rather
than being acted on inside the
Beeb. The full stop is used to
denote a decimal point in a
number, while the comma
merely separates items in a
list. A semi-colon is used in
several ways: in a PRINT state-
ment, for example, it ensures
that text is printed on a single
line, thus avoiding a carriage
return.
Finally, the colon is used to
separate several commands
in a single line, thus telling the
computer where its end and
start is. Look through any list-
ings in this issue and these
definitions should become
muchclearer.
CHR$ is the computer short-
hand for 'the character with
the code number . . .' So PRINT
CHR$(69) means: print on the
screen the character with the
code number 69- in this case
a capital E. You could do the
same with PRINT'E", so why
bother? Well, some characters
don't have a key on the key-
board - graphics characters,
for instance - and here the
only way of referring to them is
by CHR$ and their code
number {a listof code numbers
is given in the BBC User
Guide).
Bl have great difficulty in
understanding what
sideways ROMs and
RAMs, second pro-
cessors and ROM extension
boards are and how they affect
the workings of the 'standard'
system.
Could you point me towards
a book or article that might
clear up some of my confusion.
I have only recently started
reading Acorn tVser- perhaps
a back number is available
which does this.
Andrew Sims
Glasgow
B Perhaps the biggest
barrier in the path of
anyone breaking into
the world of computing
is the jargon. The computer
world is full of it: however, as
in most specialities, the terms
are quite easily understood.
RAM and ROM are mnemonic
terms that denote different
types of memory on a com-
puter. ROM (Read Only
Memory) is a permanent
memory - its contents are
always available when the
computer is on and cannot be
changed from the keyboard;
RAM (Random Access
Memory) is more volatile and
when the computer is turned
off its contents are gone for
ever- unless you've stored
them on disc or tape first. The
programs you enter are
placed in RAM,
The BBC micro can have
several chunks of RAM or
ROM physically sitting side by
side on the circuit board, but
with only one in use at any one
time (except the operating
system -that is permanently
on), By using certain com-
mands (for example. '*WORD'
to get you into the View word-
processing system) a particu-
lar ROM can be switched in or
out of circuit. This technique is
known as paging, and the
ROM/RAM used to perform it
is known as sideways ROM or
RAM.
ROM expansion boards are
commercial devices that can
be plugged into the Beeb to
take advantage of the side-
ways ROM capabilities of the
micro. On a standard BBC
micro up to four sideways
ROMs may be installed at
once; with the addition of a
ROM board this may be
extended to 16,
The term second processor
can be taken literally, for that
is what it is -an extra micro-
processor that is connected to
the Beeb. However, a second
processor can transform your
Beeb into a sophisticated
graphics design package (with
the 6502 plus Bitstik Installed)
or a comprehensive business
system (Z80 plus software),
ROM expansion boards do
not encroach upon the opera-
tion of the standard system.
Some ROMs can have a dis-
concerting effect, but only if
you have two (or more) ROMs
that use the same keywords -
then some very annoying
things can happen. The sol-
ution is to take out the ROM
that you do not want to use.
Much of the currently avail-
able commercial software,
sadly, will not run on the 6502
second processor. So the ulti-
mate solution if your software
is not working is to switch
the second processor off.
See page 94 to check what
has appeared in past issues.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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FACILITIES
Tape or disk
Holds 4,200 words in file
Selective search
Global search
Replace words selectively
Format to video or printer
Continuous printing
Separate sheet printing
Draft copy option
Select single or double spacing
Adjustable page length
Optional page numbering
Adjust left margin {4 options)
Adjust line length (4 optionsl
Centre text
Right justify
Print enlarged text
print condensed text
Print emphasised text
Print normal text
Underscore on/ off
Gives text area used
Gives text area available
Estimates memory location
Display pages
Insert text/ECCs to file
Delete text/ECCs from file
Move up to 255 characters
Duplicate up to 255 characters
Edit whilst adding text
Edit complete text file
Safeguard to Basic
Save file to tape/disk
Load file from tape/disk
It
ECC means that you are able to type away regardlessly ot hne ends, margins,
new lines or new paragraphs, as ECC does it all-automatically.
AM it requires is the pressing of the TAB key and a single letter, and hey
presto! you have a new paragraph, with of course a line space and indention,
exactly where you want. Other ECCs will adjust line lengths, varying
indentions Or even change the printing characters.
Though originally designed for the professional, it is by far the best method
for the two finger lyptst, as there is no need for the amateur to taKe his or her
eyes off the 'copy' to see when the end of a line is reached. The Kansas Word
Processor sorts out all the split words during the Format stage, at the san:ie
time as adjusting the length of line to suit either the video or the printer.
Though most so-called Word Processors for the BBC are nothing more than
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the Kansas Word Processor is exactly as the title states, a word processor.
IS thus suitable for any purpose requiring printed words, reports, articles, lists,
minutes and of course letters.
The ability to produce as many original copies as required makes it ideal for
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where copying facilities are not readily available. And of course, not only can
"hard* copy be produced on paper, but copies can be saved to either disk or
tape, for future reference, use or editing.
As a single file will hold well over 4,000 words, articles, stones and the like
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In fact the possibilities for the uses of the Kansas Word Prccessof are
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Fv sheer ease of use all the following controls are single keystroke toggling on
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Processor, Clear Text Area, First Page, Next Page. Previous Page. Last Page,
Insert Text, Delete Text. Insert Buffer. Clear Buffer. Format. Print.
ADO Allows the imputting of text and the embedded control
characters, continuously, with no need to adjust words to fit
hne ends.
EDIT The full scope of the BBCs editing facilities apply
both during the adding of text and when completed.
SEARCH Search for any group of characters. Will show the
position of each occurrence.
REPLACE Used m conjuction with the Search facility,
you can replace existing characters with new characters.
This can either be global or selective. If global is selected,
every occurrence of the characters will be replaced. If you
select selective, the program will display every occurrence
and you will have the option to replace or not.
FORMAT This allows the formatting of the assembled text
file, giving various options as to page length, numbering,
spacing, video or printer, etc.
PRINT Gives the options of draft or emphasised; continuous
or single sheets; double or single spacing; page number and
first number; lines per page; number of copies required.
SAVE TEXT Allows the saving of the current text file to
tape, with an option to save to disk.
LOAD TEXT This loads a text file from tape (with the
option of disk). Numerous text files can be loaded as the
one loaded does not destroy the text file already m the
program.
INFORW This gives the information of the file in memory and
the space still available.
EXIT PROCESSOfl This will return the computer to Basic,
which ts useful for 'CAT text files, etc. and to position
tapes for loading or saving text files. You will not destroy
either the resident text file or the program.
ENTER PROCESSOR Used to enter the program after using the
previous command.
CLEAR TEXT AREA Resets all text pointers, clearing text.
FIRST PAGE NEXT PAGE PREVIOUS PAGE LAST PAGE The
commands display the text page as asked.
INSERT TEXT Use of cursor keys to insert text or ECCs into
existing text file.
DELETE TEXT Use of cursor keys to delete text.
INSERT BUFFER A buffer holding up to 255 characters can
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64
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
EDUCATION
flM 'Set 'em up' Joe Telford keeps
^^ thechildren busyduring the
^^v: school holidays with half a dozen
M !N problems to solve by programming
PROBLEMS? NO PROBLEM!
THIS edition of 'Jottings', again
under the Education banner, is un-
ashamedly aimed at the younger
User, Mums and Dads should there-
fore hand over the magazine to their
offspring, or even better, settle down
with said offspring to do some simple
programming based around problem-
solving-
But before we solve some problems,
we should know what a problem is.
Most of us adults picked up a rough
idea at school of how to do problems.
Because of this we often think all prob-
lems are mathematical. Actually a
problem is better thought of as some-
thing that prevents us doing as we
want- This meansthat weall have prob-
lems at different levels:
# John doesn't want to go to school.
This poses a problem for John, and
possibly for other people.
• Jean cannot decide whether to
buy an LP or a blouse. This poses a
problemfor Jean.
# The school secretary needs to
keep track of every pupil in the
school each minute of the day.
Another problem.
• A bank clerk must change English
money into foreign currency at the
correct rate. Another problem.
Problems tend to be personal or imper-
sonal. John's problem is personal, as is
Jean's, while most school secretaries
and bank clerks have the problems out-
lined above. We can say that these
problems are impersonal. Personal
problems are usually best dealt with
by people, because these problems
often need sympathy, understanding,
intuition or other human attributes.
Computers would make a pretty poor
show of handling such problems.
How does Joe solve the problems
in this feature?
For six of the best turn to yellow
pages xl to xiil.
If we consider problems that are
impersonal, we might expect to find
such problems as:
I.H0W can a supermarket Improve
the service it gives?
2. How can I use a computer to clock-
on people in afirm?
3. Which is the best camera?
4. Which is the fastest 1000 cc four-
stroke motorcycle?
Here again the problems can be separ-
ated into two types. Problems 1 and 3
are general, while problems 2 and 4 are
more specific- It is usually easier to
obtain a computer-based answer to
specific problems than to general prob-
lems.
Often, though, problems may have
several answers. The correct answer is
the one that works in real life. Some-
times many of the answers will work,
and sometimes only one. If we consider
the type of problems producing one
correct answer, these are almost
always mathematical. Forexample:
If six men dig a trench in 12 days how
long would ittake 12 men?
iC
However, most problems have many
different answers, depending on the
factors involved. Generally speaking, a
problem is made more specific as all
the factors affecting it are made clear.
For example, in that last problem the
mathematical answer might logically
be thought to be 6 days, using the prin-
ciple of doubling the workforce to half
the time. However in real life such a
problem is never as simple. The factors
which might affect the answer to the
problem include:
# What is the maximum workforce
available?
# How many men can work on the
trench together?
# fvlust anything be done during the
dig? Eg, disconnecting gas/elec-
tricity?
# If someone falls ill can he be re-
placed?
In this article we are mainly interested
in finding a solution to each problem.
Sometimes the 'correct' answer is
obvious, other times there is no
'correct' answer. Provided we try to
solve the problem logically this does
not matter. Adults should understand
that the thinking around a problem is as
important as the answer itself.
The first and most important stage of
solving problems is to know what the
problem is- and we should always
write it down. Let's take a typical prob-
lem;
How can we easily calculate the
amount of foreign money we can buy
with a quantity of English money?
The problem is reasonably well speci-
fied, but we might not know where to
begin. If it's difficult to begin a problem
then we should alterlhe problem to be
very simple indeed, This helps us to put
our thoughts into order. A simpler ver-
sion of the problem might be:
How much French money can I buy
with 15 pounds Sterling?
An easier version still might be:
How many francs can I get for 1
pound?
Now we must think about what extra in-
formation we need to solve this simple
problem. Obviously we need to know
how many francs can be bought for a
pound. This is called the exchange rate
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f
I
EDUCATION
and if we go into our local bank we'll
find a list of present-day exchange
rates. Francs might be listed as 11.50
francs per pound. The simplest prob-
lem can now be solved:
I can get 1 1 .50 francs for 1 pound
The next level of the problem is more
difficult. To find out how many francs in
15 pounds, we must multiply 11.50 by
15. We have found a large part of the
final solution now because for any cur-
rency we can say:
Foreign currency = number of
pounds • exchange rate
or
foreign = pds* rate
To handle all the different types of cur-
rency we will need a list of all the ex-
change rates for each country involved.
A good way along the path to an answer
might be to jot down the sort of sums we
might have to get involved in. At this
stage we use a cross between English
and Basic to put our thoughts onto
paper. Eventually we will use full Basic:
IF country is France THEN foreign =
pds* 11, 50 francs
IF country is Austria THEN foreign =
pds* 36 schillings
IF country is Belgium THEN
foreign = pds * 78.5francs
IF country is Canada THEN foreign ^
pds "2.25 dollars
IF country is Denmark THEN
foreign = pds ' 14.5kroner
etc
The list of exchange rates above is
deliberately incorrect, so Users will
need to visit their local bank or travel
9PPI
s
^^s
>5
agent to get an up-to-date list. (Take a
notebook and pencil to copy the list
from the currency board.) Equipped
with this information, we can consider
the stages of writing the program.
We have to do three things to solve
this problem. Our first ideas might be:
1. Enter the English cash.
The exchange rate.
The country involved.
The name of that country's cur-
rency.
2. Perform the correct calculation,
depending on the country involved
(as shown above).
3. Print out ttie answer.
In bankirtg the exchange rate, the cur-
rency name, and the country name
would be always available to staff, and
the real input would be the name of the
country and the quantity of English
cash. We need the country name so that
the correct exchange rate can be found,
and the quantity of cash to perform the
multiplication necessary.
A useful approach when coding
these problems is to make each major
part of the solution a procedure in its
own right. Then if a bug occurs in one
part of the program it can be tracked
down by considering each section in
turn. These stages can then be swiftly
hung together using a main program
body like:
50 REPEAT
60 PROCinput
70 PROCprocess
80 PROCdisplay
90 PROCspace
100 UNTIL FALSE
The three main procedures can be
used over and over (until ESCAPE is
pressed) and the PROCspace pro-
cedure allows each answer to be read
before progressing to the next input. A
large number of simple problems can
be handled in this format. Program 1
shows one solution to the Bureau de
change problem. The processing sec-
tion requires the addition of further
countries, currencies and exchange
rates, but this is a useful way to spend
an afternoon collecting data. Users
should also consider writing their own
versions, or improving on program 1.
Alternate modes, coloured printoutand
making tabularised output might all be
considered.
The second problem to solve derives
from the well-known riddle: 'When is a
BeebnotaBeeb?. . .When it's a POST'.
A POST-Point Of Sale Terminal-can
be regarded as a special cash register.
In its simplest form it can do five tasks:
1. Input amounts of money.
2. Total them.
3. Inputthe amount paid.
4. Calculate change needed.
5. Displaythechangetobegiven.
The problem is to simulate a POST with
the BBC micro. The above POST spec.
gives us our outline for solving the
problem. Let's examine the task in
detail. We can start by thinking of the
main body of the computer program.
We can produce this directly from the
problem spec. The solution starts by
taking the general problem and break-
ing itdown:
50 REPEAT
60 PROCinputandadd
70 PROCtotal
80 PROCinputcash
90 PROCcalculatechange
100 PROCshowchange
110 PROCspace
120 UNTIL FALSE
Notice that each of the procedures
roughly matches the stages of the prob-
lem specification. The REPEAT . . .
UNTIL loop and PROCspace are simply
trimmings that will make use of the pro-
gram easier.
The next step is to produce 'English-
Basic' pseudocode solutions to each of
the procedures. The 'inputandadd' pro-
cedure might be summarised as fol-
lows:
MakethetotalO
REPEAT
INPUT the cost of an item
IF the cost is more than add it onto
the total
UNTILthecostisO
END this section
Compare this with the coding of pro-
gram 2 to see how each line relates to
oursummary in pseudocode.
The procedure to print the total of the
items is easy to produce, as it will
simply be a PRINT statement {lines 240
and 280).
In the section of the problem dealing
with entering the cash paid a small
problem might arise if someone offers
an amount less than the actual total.
This must be spotted. It is as covered in
the following pseudocode;
REPEAT
Input the cash paid
UNTIL it covers the cost of items
This code transfers very easily into
Basic:
REPEAT
INPUT 'cash paid 'cash
UNTIL cash > -total
Readers will see the benefit of using
long variable names. The last two sub-
problems, calculating the change and
printing the amount returned, are
covered simply by a subtraction:
change ^ cash - total
and then one or two PRINT commands.
Program 2 shows the detail of these
procedures.
To produce a pleasant layout, '-'
characters are used in the printout sec-
tions of the program, and an additional
aid to layout is the use of the @% vari-
able in line 160 to produce two figures
of decimals. TheZ% variable is used to
return the @% variable to its original
state. This is important because in
leaving one program to start another
we should always reset the system
variables that we have altered. This is
actually done in line 440.
This problem should lead to many
other ideas, possibly the most import-
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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I
EDUCATION
ant being to visit a number of shops
where POSTs exist and see what they
do. This provides a jumping-off point
fora number of investigations, eg:
• Can you make your BBCPOST
open a cash drawer (or simulate
this)?
• Can you perform a coin analysis of
the change so that the BBCPOST
prints out how many Is, 2s, 5s, 10s,
20s, 50s, and 100s should be given in
change?
• Can you introduce a code into the
input section so that BBCPOST will
tell you what the article is when that
code is typed in?
• Can you further extend this idea
so that BBCPOST tells you not only
the code but the price too, and then
adds that price onto the total?
The next problem is all a matter of
timing. We regularly use the 12-hour
clock, so that say 6 hours after 1 1am is
5pm. Inthis type of arithmetic:
11 + 6-5
If we want to demonstrate this using our
BBC micro, then we need to perform
three stages of problem-solving. You
should be able to name the procedures
in the main body of the program now:
REPEAT
PROCi....
PROCp
PROCo
PROCspace
UNTIL FALSE
The difficulty in this program is not in
entering the numbers. All that is
required here are a number of INPUT
statements to get the hours and
minutes of the present time, followed
by the hours and minutes that will pass
before the new time. Nor is the difficulty
centred around the printout of the final
time-a simple PRINT line will take
care of this. The difficulty lies in the cal-
culation of the new time. Let's therefore
consider this aspect in more detail.
If we add the present minute value to
the number of minutes that have
passed, then we will get a value that is
either under one hour or under two
hours (unless something silly like
120mins has been entered). So we
have to take into account a possible
'hours carry'. When we add this hours
carry to the present time in hours and
then to the number of hours to pass, the
answer will be greater than or less than
12. If the answer is less than 12 we
simply use it as it stands. If the answer
is more we must reduce it by subtract-
ing 12 until the answer is less than 12. A
special case occurs when the answer is
exactly 12. This normally reduces to
but convention has it that the 12-hour
clock starts at 12, and so any answer of
hours must be called 12 hours.
As we've said, when a problem looks
difficult its best to break it down into
manageable chunks. The last section
should show us that the smaller chunks
include:
1. Adding the minutes.
2. Checking for a minutes-hour carry.
3. Adding the hours plus carry if any.
4. Checking for the hours result over
12.
5. Reducing this by 12 until the result
isintherangeOto 11.
6. If the special result occurs then
add 12.
The clearer outline of the last section
allows us to produce our English/Basic
pseudocode solution:
new min time - present min time +
passing mintime
hours carry = newmintimeDIV60
new min time - new min time
MODuio60
new hour - present hour -i- passing
hours + hours carry
new hour ^ newhour MODulo 12
IF new hour - THEN set new hour
to 12
END this section
This process of moving from outline
problem via progressively clearer
stages to a solution is called refine-
ment. Program 3 shows a completed
solution in PROCprocess {lines 280 to
350). This is the Basic coding of our
pseudocode. It is. however, possible to
go a step further and produce an
alternative process, defined in lines
390 to 430, This relies on understanding
the first PROCprocess and reducing it
to three essential expressions. The
brackets contain all the contents of the
original PROCprocess but in a con-
densed form. This further enhance-
ment does not improve the solution, it
simply makes it more concise, if less
readable. This sort of condensation is
normally applied to increase program
execution speed, or reduce demands
on memory space. Normally (say for
exam purposes) the original PROCpro-
cess would be quite satisfactory.
Here are further things you could do
to develop the program:
Can you add lines to input the time of
day as AM or PM and printout the
final time with AM changed to PM
and vice versa, if need be?
Can you convert this program to
work as a 24-hour clock?
Can you produce a program that con-
verts between 12 and 24 hours?
Can you produce a program that
takes days of the week into consider-
ation, in either the 24-hour clock or
the 12-hour clock with AM or PM?
Can you produce a calendar for this
month? Any month this year? Any
month of any year?
The information picked up so far will
prove useful in this next problem. The
wages department of a large firm is to
use a computer to work out the wages
of each employee. The various sub-
problems have been listed and you
have been presented with the sub-
problem of using the computer to calcu-
late the number of hours worked each
day by each employee.
On collecting further information
from the personnel department you
come across the following facts:
1 . No-one starts work before 7.30am
2. No-one works later than 6.00pm
3. Times are always given in quarter-
hours. This means that a person who
clocks off at 5.55pm will be regarded
as clocking off at 5.45pm,
Ignoring item 3 for the moment, you
should go through the stages of solving
the problem. Consider what will be the
input, the output, and what processing
must take place. Write the main body of
the program. Think about the problems
involved in calculation. Remember the
complete work time will normally be
made up of a morning session (clock-
on up to 12) added to an afternoon
session (12 til I clock-off).
Program 4 shows a possible answer
to the problem. Notice particularly the
way in which it handles input, protect-
ing against out-of-range numbers.
However, it does not handle the
quarter-hour specification. Let's add
the quarter-hour facility. This sub-prob-
lem can be specified more completely
as:
'When a person clocks in, the clock-
in time is taken forward to the next
quarter-hour, unless the person
clocks in on a quarter-hour. When a
person clocks off the clock-off time is
taken back to the last quarter hour,
unless the person clocks off on a
quarter-hour.'
EDUCATION
I
We need to add this section to the over-
all solution. We can indicate our intent
todothis by adding line 45:
45 PROCfindquarterhour
This will need to be defined after line
500, beginning:
510 DEFPROCfindquartertiours
and ending with ENDPROC.
To decide on suitable coding, we pro-
duce our usual pseudocode based on
the problem:
Mai<eoffmins =^ offminsDIV 15
Makeoffmins = offmins*15
Makeonmins ^ onmins + 14
IFonmins > 60 increase onhour by 1
Makeonmins = onmins DIV 15
IVIakeonmins ^ onmins ' 15
This can easily be converted to Basic
on a line-for-line basis. Readers should
try coding this procedure.
Here are some more challenges:
1. Can you change program 4 so that
it includes as input and output the
name of the person? This can easily
be done by adding an INPUT line and
aPRINTIine.
2. Can you alter the program to take
account of a five-day week? This will
involve adding the totals of each day
together.
3. Can you alter the program to cope
with a workforce of 10 people?
4. Can you alter the program to work
out the weekly wage of each person if
the hourly rate is included in the
input section with the person's
name?
This next program should start with an
experiment. The first task is to get a
candle, say two centimeters in diam-
eter. Attach It to a secure base and
mark two lines around the candle about
1 or 2cms apart. Light the candle and
time how long it takes to burn down
from the top to the bottom marks. This
time will probably be in minutes. For
Users without a stopwatch, simply
enter this short program, then press
SPACE to start timing, and RETURN to
stop:
10 REPEATUNTILGET-32
20 TIME = 0:REPEAT UNTIL GET-
13:t-TIME
30 PRINTt DIV 6000" min: ";(t DIV
100)MOD60" sec"
Whatever the timing method, we will
end up with the time taken to burn a
certain quantity of wax. The quantity
consumed can be found by the formula:
pi^diam'diam'length
quantity -^^^^ 2 —
For a first approximation we might use
avalueofSforpi.
The problem this experiment leads
us to is:
Is it possible to take the data about
one candle and from it predict the
burning times of other candles?
Our first attempts will probably be in-
accurate. In this type of problem, the
accuracy of the computer output
depends on the quality of our model.
The model here is simply: The greater
the amount of wax to burn, the longer
will be the burning time'. This allows us
to calculate burning time based on
diameter (thickness) and length of
candle. The model may not hold true for
widely differing diameters of candles,
and there are different hardnesses of
wax, which will also affect the outcome.
The program produced in answer to
this problem will no doubt need re-
fining, but it provides a starting point.
Considering our experiment, we
need to produce a program that takes
the test data (length, diameter, burn
time) and the new candle data, then cal-
culates the burn time for the new data.
This falls into our three areas of Input.
Process and Output, With the exception
of having two input sections -one for
test data and another for the prediction
data - the main body of the program re-
flects this. Readers can create suitable
input and output routines by examining
program 5, The calculations required
arequitesimple:
1. Calculate quantity burned in test
using previous formula,
2. Calculate actual quantity to burn
using same formula,
3. Calculate predicted burn time by:
actual quantity ' testburntime
test quantity
The resultant procedure is shown in
lines 240 to 300.
To give the program a good tryout,
select three candles: a birthday cake
candle, a candle identical to the test
candle and a really thick candle, (Vlarka
top and bottom ring on each candle,
making the distance between the rings
1cm on the thick candle, 4cms on the
test candle duplicate, and 2cms on the
birthday candle. Run the program three
times with the data for the test candle
and note down the predicted burn times
for the three candles. Time each candle
in turn, recording its actual burn time.
Comparing the answers with the com-
puter predictions will demonstrate the
accuracy of the model.
Furtherexercises:
1. Can you alter the program so the
test results can be permanently
stored?
2. Can the program be altered (with
permanently stored test results) to
cope with three models:
a. The thin long candle,
b. The standard candle.
c. The short thick candle.
3, Can you find out whether the type
of wick plays any part in the speed of
burning?
4, Can you devise a model that com-
pensates for the type of wax?
Our last problem concerns the inhabi-
tants of a distant world (the P&G? - Ed).
On this planet the most advanced form
of life is the Tibbar, a small furry
creature. There are no predators to
preventtheTibbars increasing in popu-
lation. This they do quite often, for a
Tibbar will grow to maturity in four
months, at which point it can start
breeding. Tibbars have perfect litters of
four Tibblets (two male and two female)
which tends to produce a perfectly even
balanced population. Program 6 shows
how a model of population growth can
be started. The interesting line is line
230, which increases the population
every fourmonths.
The trouble with computer models or
simulations is that they are not perfect.
They simulate the parts of real life we
are interested in at the expense of
other parts. The simulation of program
6, for example, looks only at an increas-
ing population. There is nothing to take
account of natural wastage. Another
failing is that the program assumes that
the population starts at two. This might
not be the case - for example, if a herd
of zebra is being monitored, a model
might need to start with 12 or more
creatures. There may need to be an im-
balance of males to females, and the
maturity period may need to be
increased.
The main problem with such a model
is that to provide a realistic simulation
we must be aware of all the sub-prob-
lems that might arise, and how to solve
them. Hence we have turned full circle.
We started solving simple problems
directly, and have ended up thinking
about producing programs which
demonstrate their own weakness as
solutions.
If we agree that the main aim of pro-
gramming should be to help problem-
solving, then every program, working
or not, assists us on that road. Provided
we constantly refine our ideas and
learn from our mistakes, we will
develop the strategies and skills to
solve the many different problems that
life brings.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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Rebalance this she
rhe BliC Micro can now o^ive an
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Because witli Acornsolt's new I6K
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Because ViewSheet comes with an
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You can nominate headings and sub-
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GRAPHICS
I
'tel
SPRFTELY
CHARACTERS
Create your owri full-colour cartoon figures in a flash
with Harry Sinclair's sprite generator program
. . . and next month he'll show you how to animate them
THE GRAPHICS capabilities of the
BBC and Electron are second to
none. What Acorn calls medium-
resolution graphics are called high-
resolution by other manufacturers. The
graphics commands and character
redefinition facilities are excellent and
are all that most people require. How-
ever, there are limitations. Redefined
characters are single colour, anima-
tion is not easy, and large user-defined
characters have to be made up of a
numberof standard-size units.
These problems can be overcome by
directly addressing screen memory,
although for some obscure reason
Acorn regards this activity as being on
roughly the same moral level as wife
beating. Resolution, number of colours
and size are limited only by the mode
you choose and movement is consider-
ably faster and smoother.
So why don't we use this method all
the time? Well, Acorn has not provided
facilities for making it easy and so to
take full advantage of the method you
really need to use machine code, which
puts people off.
Two main facilities need to be pro-
vided:
Easy Rider was designed using the largest grid and Is shown at its final
size on the right. Colours are selected from the palette (left) by moving
the cursor to the appropriate position and pressing a number key
• Routines that allow the user to
create characters (sprites) without
having to perform the rather messy
manipulations required to change
the colour of each pixel.
• The means to move these
creations to any screen location
quickly and without worrying about
internal screen boundaries.
This article introduces a program
which performs the first of these tasks,
and next month I'll present a program
that takes the output from this month's
program and moves it around the
screen smoothly without disturbing any
background, maintaining your charac-
ter's original colouring at all times-
EOR printing is not used.
Your characters can be as large as
24 pixels deep by 20 pixels wide or as
small as one pixel - in which case I will
be exceeding miffed, having toiled
through many a night, these wonders to
bring you.
The programs are designed in such a
way that it is not necessary to under-
stand how the whole process operates
or to know anything about assembler. If
you either know all about these matters
or don't want to know, you can get on
with typing in the Design program after
reading the next section.
All you need to know -and this is
only for using the output of the first pro-
gram-is the way graphics co-ordi-
nates are actually arranged. In all the
graphics modes (0, 1, 2, 4 and 5) the
Beeb regards the screen as being 256
bytes deep (Y axis), with at the top of
the screen and 255 at the bottom. The X
axis has two possible ranges -0 to 39
The Design program is listed
on yellow pages viii-lx, with
full entry and conversion
instructions on page x
I
GRAPHICS
for modes 4 and 5, and Oto 79 in modes
0, 1 and 2. This explains why mode 2
{256 bytes deep by 80 bytes wide ^
20k) requires twice as much screen
memory as mode 5 (256 bytes deep by
40 bytes wide = 10k), These programs
use mode 2, so to position your sprites
on the screen you should use values in
the range to 79 for the X axis. The way
to call upsprites is:
1. Run the Design program and
design your characters.
2. Allow the program to save them.
3. Type ?&70-{the number of the
character you want to show).
4. Type?&71 ^ (Xaxis number).
5. Type ?&72 = (Y axis number).
6. Type MODE 2:CALL display.
Note that 'display' is an assembler rou-
tine within Design, This will provide
only a static display- no animation
(except by clever use of flashing
colours). Next month's program will
allow two sorts of animation -move-
ment of individual sprites and multi-
frame animation using a sequence of
sprites as in a cartoon film. OK, if you
don't want to read the next section on
how the program works, start typing
Design'in now.
How the program works
Mode 2 allows the use of all 16 colours
(0 to 15) and so there are two pixels per
byte. This is because the number of
each colour has to be written to the
screen memory byte in a particular
format. Each byte is made up of eight
bits. Four bits are necessary to rep-
resent numbers in the range 0-15 so
you can fit only two such numbers in
each byte.
Say you want a particular screen
byte to be magenta (colour 5) on the left
half and flashing blue/yellow (colour
12. or &C in hexadecimal) on the right.
Sending the value &5C to the byte does
not work. What you have to do is inter-
weave the colour numbers in a special
way.
Magenta Blue/yel
1
1 1
1
1stpair = 01
2nd pair = 11
3rd pair = 00
4th pair- 10
Table 1 . How to interweave the colour numbers
In binary
The first step is to convert each
number into its binary equivalent. Five
is 0101 and 12 is 1100. The method is
then to take the left-hand (most signifi-
cant) bit of the first number, the first bit
of the second number, the second bit of
the first number, the second bit of the
second number and so on. It sounds
complicated but if you just write the
numbers in binary vertically next to
each other and read off the pairs it's
very easy. Table 1 shows how this
works in our case, where the final
number is 01110010. Rather than con-
vert that number into a decimal number
it's much easier to convert it directly
into hex. Just consider each half of the
byte as separate so that you have two
numbers-0111 and 0010. Each will
now convert into a single hex digit in
the range 0-F. In this case you will get 7
and 2. The final hex number is therefore
&72. If you're not very happy about con-
verting from one number base to
another table 2 gives all the required
values. page 77^
dec.
bin.
hex.
1
0001
1
2
0010
2
3
0011
3
4
0100
4
5
0101
5
6
0110
6
7
0111
7
8
1000
8
9
1001
9
10
1010
A
11
1011
B
12
1100
C
13
1101
D
14
1110
E
15
1111
F
Table 2. Conversion table tor decimal, binary
and hexadecimal
DESIGN PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
10 to 200 Perform initial housekeeping-clearing work
areas, assigning constants, defining the characters used
in the program as the representation of a pixel {CHRS240)
and the pointer/cursor (CHR$241), assembling the
machine code, and setting up 'key$', which is used to find
out which colour control key has been pressed-
210 Starts the outer loop, which is used each time a new
sprite design is started.
220 Works out where to store the data for each design by
looking at the appropriate entry in the table of addresses
starting at &12F0.
230 to 240 Draw previous designs across the top of the
screen, having calculated the gap required between
each design to give even spacing. This is necessary
since designs can be anything between 8 and 20 pixels
wide.
250 to 270 Print out the details of the colour control keys.
310to 350 Position the 'design box' centrally, draw it, and
draw the pointer/cursor in the bottom left of the box.
360 Start of the inner loop, which controls cursor move-
ment, colour change and the creation of the data table for
each design.
370 Checks whether a key has been pressed and, if so,
whether It appears in the string variable 'key$'. If one of
the appropriate keys has been pressed, K% will contain
the number of its position within the string -eg if has
been pressed K% will equal 1 -the position of within
'keyS'. If F has been pressed K% will equal 16. If a non-
acceptable key has been pressed K% will equal 0. Caps
lock mustbeon.
380 Sets col%, the colour required, to equal K% - 1 and
draws the representation of a pixel in the correct place
and in the correct colour.
390 to 420 Check if any of the cursor control keys have
been pressed and, if so, delete the cursor/pointer at its
present position, adjust the X and Y co-ordi,nates and
draw it in the new position.
430 The end point of the inner loop, which is exited when
the TAB key is pressed.
440 Updates the number of the character ready for the
next design and ensures that character 2 is the same as
character and character 6 the same as character 4.
450 Reactivates the text cursor, clears the text window
and switches off the flashing cursor,
460 to 480 Exit conditions for the outer loop. These are:
1. Memory full
2. CTRL-Z pressed
Pressing SPACE allows a new design to be started
unless condition 1 is true.
490 to 510 Re-enable the edit keys and switch to mode 7.
520 to 530 Provide information on the whereabouts of the
data tables for the characters you have designed.
540 to 550 Allow you to save your data.
560 to 570 End of main program.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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76
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
GRAPHICS
The task of interweaving nunnbers in
this way would be quite triclty, if not im-
possible, from Basic but is fairly simple
in assembler, where individual bits can
be manipulated.
Well, that's all there is to the control
of pixel colours. Layout of screen
memory is the next item. I don't pro-
pose to go into any great detail in this
article but it is useful to have a general
understanding of the subject. Type in
the following short program.
10*TV255
20 MODE 2
30FORI%-0TO8
40l%?&4900 = &72
50 G- GET
60 NEXT
All this program does is to send the
value &72 to 9 (0 to 8) consecutive
screen memory locations starting at
&4900, When you run the program the
first byte will light up with the left-hand
pixel in colour 5 (magenta) and the
right-hand pixel flashing blue/yellow.
Each time you press a key the next byte
willlightup.
You will notice that the first eight
bytes are arranged vertically but that
the ninth appears immediately to the
right of the first byte. In fact, if you
change line 30 to read FOR l% = TO
639 and delete line 50, which just waits
for a keypress, you will see that the 640
bytes form a strip across the screen 80
bytes wide and eight bytes deep.
A mode 2 screen is made up of 32
such strips. Within each strip vertically
adjacent bytes are consecutive -that
PROCEDURES
is, the number of any byte is one
greater than the byte above. Since
each strip is eight bytes deep it follows
that the difference between horizon-
tally adjacent bytes is eight. The diffi-
culties arise when you want to put a
sprite on the screen which will occupy
parts of more than one strip.
There are a few ways of dealing with
this problem and that will be the subject
of the next article. The important point
to appreciate here is that your charac-
ter data should be organised in such a
way that it reflects the organisation of
screen memory. This ensures that you
can then select the most efficient way of
writing it to the screen. The method I
have chosen means that instead of
having to calculate the address of
either each individual byte or each
580 to 630 PROCpntr(X%,Y%)
Uses Exclusive OR (GCOL3,7) plotting to draw the cursor.
This ensures that it can be seen no matter what the back-
ground colour and that redrawing it in the same position
will delete it,
640to720 PROCdraw{col%,X%,Y%)
This is the heart of the program. Apart from drawing
CHRS240-the representation of an enlarged pixel -in
the chosen position and in the appropriate colour, this
procedure passes parameters in lines 670, 680 to the
main machine code routine, 'byte-number', and then
CALLS it. A description of this routine appears below.
730 to 770 PROCwind-up
This is the error-handling routine. It can be deleted when
you have de-bugged your program,
780 to 930 PROCsave
Sets up a parameter block starting at &3000 containing
details of your data file -name, start address, finish
address etc-and then calls OSFILE at &FFDD with in
A% and with X% and Y% pointing to the parameter
block. This saves your data for you,
940to2920 PROCassemble
This sets up the machine code routines. In order these
are:
980 byte-number
This routine has had parameters passed to it by PROC-
draw. &88 contains the number along the X axis of the
pixel to be altered -ie, its column number. The left-
most pixel is number 0, &89 contains the Y axis number
of the pixel - its row number. The top row is and the
bottom 23, The routine has two purposes. It calculates
the position in the data table of the byte to be altered
using the formula byte-number -{X DIV 2)*8+((Y DIV
8)*8'W) + Y MOD 8, where W is the width of the charac-
ter in bytes and X and Y are the co-ordinates. The
result is stored in &8F and &8D. The second objective
is to work out in which 'strip' of screen memory the
altered byte should appear. Possible answers are Q for
the first strip and 1 or 2 for the second and third strips
respectively. These values are stored in the X-register
(not to be confused with the X axis) and control the
operation of the routine 'pixad' starting at line 1690,
which calculates the base address for a further routine
'store', which displays your character actual size as
you design it,
7290 byte-value
PROCdraw has changed the dummy addresses {&8000
at lines 1320 and 1610) to the address of the start of the
current data table. The byte to be altered is loaded into
the accumulator. If the X axis number is odd then the
pixel to be changed is a right-hand one, otherwise it is
a left-hand one. Lines 1420 to 1490 or lines 1510 to 1580
filter out the old colour bits and replace them with
those of the new colour, contained in &87.
1590 store
This places the new byte value in the correct position
in the data table and also displays the new pixels on
the screen.
1860 display
Displays designs across the top of the screen. Line 240
passes 3 parameters to this routine:
1 . &70 Contains the number of the character
2. &71 X axis position (0 to 79)
3. &72 Y axis position (0 to 255)
The first part of the routine calculates the screen start
address of each of the three strips for each character
usingthe formula:
strip 1 - &3000 + (640*(Y DIV 8)) + (8*(X DIV 8)'8)
strip 2- strip 1 + 640
strip 3- strip 2 + 640
Lines 2420 to 2490 search the address table starting at
&12F0 for the low byte of the start address of the
character data table. This is put into &88, A loop then
increments the low byte by the block size - ie 8* width -
the number of bytes to be written to each strip -con-
tained in &12EF-and puts the results into &8A and
&8G. The next loop takes the high byte of the character
address and puts it into &89, &8B, and &8D. 'Maintoop'
now reads from the data table and inserts it into the
appropriate screen memory addresses, using the Y
register to index.
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THREE NEW PROGRAMS FROM MICROTEST
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Typing '*HELP FONTS' gives a list of available
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Available fonts are
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Microtest Starstick ROM & Joystick Package
Now available the Starstick ROM and Joystick. This comes in three forms:
Enables you to use our
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Price 17.95 + IMT = 19.84
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Price 19.25 + VAT = 22.14
(C) The Starstick ROM and patch lead, choose
your own Spectrum/Atari style joystick
Price 15.25 + VAT = 17.54
Post and Packing £1 .00 inc. VAT per item
This enables you to plug the Rapid action self centring joysticks until now
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Disc Users Note- pressing BREAK. SHIFT-BREAK or CONTROL BREAK
does not modify or destroy Ihe STARSTICK software so Disc Users
please feel free to Bool'
The software patch provided in the ROM is interrupt driven and adds the
following commands to your computer.
STICK turn on (he STARSTICK ROM
NSTICK lurn off Ihe STARSTICK ROM
SETSTtCK set up ioysiick to users spec
SAVE ■ NAr^E' 140 160 saves your user-key protocols
AOVAL emulale standard analogue jovBliclis
PAUSE define key lo Freeze game
NPAUSE turn off abilily to freeze game
NAME predefined key prolocols set uo tor software
houses programs
HELP KEYS displays currently selected key protocols
REPEAT enables auto-rapeai fire
NREPEAT disables auio-repeai fire
DEALER ENQUIRIES
and
EXPORT ORDERS
WELCOME
available from
MICROTEST LTD
18 Normandy Way, Bodmin, Cornwall PL31 1EX
Telephone: 0208 3812
OR ANYGOOO DEALER
Large picture shows BBC Computer System anij a Quickshot llJoystick, Small inset just a few of the
joysticks that will work with the patch lead. Screenshot by kind permission of SUPERIOR SOFTWARE
n
I
GRAPHICS
horizontal row of bytes, you need only
calculate the start address of each strip
to be written to.
You may be relieved to know that the
first program does all the calculation of
byte values and organises them into
tables for you. All you have to do is the
creative bit.
How to use the program
Now for the sprite design program in
this issue. When you run it you'll be
asked how wide in pixels (8 to 20} you
want your character to be. Having
selected this you will see a box within
which you design your character, at
approximately four times magnifica-
tion. As your design progresses it will
also be shown actual size to the right of
the box, while all your previous designs
are shown actual size across the top of
the screen.
The keys to control colour are dis-
played on the left of the screen. They
correspond to the hex number of each
colour, so pressing 1 gives colour 1 and
pressing F gives colour 15. The list of
colours is itself colour-coded so you
don't have to remember numbers or
keep referring to the User Guide.
To change the colour of any location
just move the cursor over it, using the
cursor control (arrow) keys, and press
the appropriate colour key. You can
make any alterations you want to the
current design at any time.
When you've finished a design just
press the TAB key. You will then be
asked whether you want to do another
design or stop. You can have up to six
separate designs per session,
although for reasons that will become
apparent next month, these six designs
are treated as being eight designs.
Character 2 is the same as character
and character 6 is the same as 4.
When you have either filled up avail-
able memory or have decided to stop
you'll be given information on the
number of characters defined, the
address of the data in memory, and the
location of the table of addresses of the
start of each character's data block.
You don't have to make a note of all this
information -it's just to reassure you.
You will then be asked if you want to
save the data. If you don't, the program
finishes. If you do, you are asked what
you want to cal I the data file.
After this you are given an oppor-
tunity to get your tape ready or insert
the appropriate disc and then the data
is saved automatically. It doesn't
matter whether you're using cassette
or disc.
The filing system in use is important,
however, in that it affects the default
setting of PAGE. The program must be
loaded and run with PAGE set at &1900.
Disc users will probably have PAGE set
Some ol the spritely characters from Harry Sinclair's portfolio. By combining lour 'quar-
tered' designs, such as the tank and submarine, a larger character can be created, and
movement can be suggested with the use of flashing colours
to this anyway but machines using
cassette or those fitted with Econet will
have to have their default setting
altered by typing in PAGE = &1900. If
you have Econet you'll also have to
type in ?&224^&A6 to disable it before
loading, otherwise the program may be
corrupted, since it occupies Econet
workspace. It is also advisable to add a
lineOas follows:
OREM"*"*
When the disc drives are used on an
Econet machine bytes &1905 and &1906
seem sometimes to be corrupted even
when Econet is disabled, but this extra
line will make that unimportant.
Next month I'll give you a number of
extra procedures that let you edit pre-
viously designed sprites, produce
'clones', mirror images and so on. It
isn't possible to include them here as
the program only just fits into available
memory as it is. However, removing
PROCassemble and loading the
machine code separately should pro-
vide enough room for these additional
facilities.
Remember to set PAGE to &1900
before you type the program in and
save it before you attempt to RUN it, just
in case PROCassemble runs amok and
starts assembling code all over your
... , .. Ti. ■ . *■ ■ hard work. Better still, you could get
Neanng competion. The ast section IS ... .., ., J ^ .,
put together. The other quarters are shown this month s cassette and save yourself
'saved' at the top lor reference, awaiting a lot Of typing
assembly of the complete model
Designing a multi-sprite character. Stage 1:
the conning tower takes shape . . .
comm.
PRCSTEL, MICRONET. BBC lo BBC file transfer, Terminal Emulation.
Cammslar is unique and complele. a \o\A'- solution
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Imaglrte Commalar
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your tionjonsand tinfl out |ijsl liow unrsalilE our i;ompule' can really he'
How many times have you wanted lo gel a copy o( a program lo a Iriend or a Ixisiness colleague,
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Commalar is mielligeni 11 offers many advanced (ealu res lo ensure simple andettertiue
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Consider Ihe following features
PreitalMode
Prestel mobs lealures full colour Prestelgiaphics including double height and Hashing characlers
Full Telesottware capability IS offered allowing the many Irae programs DflmedeyMicronel 800
tonedownipaOBdinloyourcomputer Pages of particular inieresl may be marked totlaler
retrieval and rti'iplfiv Page imager mny Be copied and saved to a tile on tfie current filing -iysteiTi
Terminal Mode
In terminal mode all inpul may be copied into a butferin memory or spoded directly on to disc Full
coolrd over buffered dala IS provided allowing il to be listed 10 screen or prinlar. sent to the
HS433. saued lo or loaded from 1 tie current filing system {including TAPEt
Commslat allows full configuration and easy control over irre protocols used Send and receive
baud rates, word length, parity and number olslop bits are seleoled Irom a simple ladle o(
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WhenincnatmodelB0or40columnl.characlErsljansmitledbyHTeii0Slwill0edi^layedonttie
BBC screen and characters typed on the BBC will be sent lo IMe Most
Commslar allows ANY type of Ilia inotiList ASCII) 10 be Iransferred 'safely' usingXMODEM
proioools Intact four indivldualmellrodsol Iransmission are provided lor wilhinCommsiar
giving great flexibililv
Using a di5« based emulalion file Commsiar can baconfiguredlo emulate virtually any terminal
type including VT 1 00. wrltiin itie capabilities at the BBC
In additiontoihe above, most MOScommandscanl)ee<ecutedtromwilliinCommslar errors
are trapped by Commslars own error-handling rouiines and an opiionai elapsed time clock may
be displayed Dalalilter Local Ectio. Auto-linB-leed printer on.'off and XON'XOFF protocols may
be toggled in or out by a single key press, eilensive use being made Of the funcron keys
Finally Commstar may be fitlerl.nio any of the sideways ROM sockets and is provided with a
compiohpnsiv'i msruial
C34 inc. VAT a Carriage.
A revohit Jon*nr new approaiJh lo program demlopmMit atda.
Tot^tttar IS a powerful new utility Rom thai wiflopenupa wfiole new world loi SBC micro users
roofs(3f adopts a revolutionary new approach lo program fleuelopment aids IthaaOeen
designed specifics I iy to assist both Basic and Machine code programmers by providing an
Integra led set of powerful build rng bkxiks which rapidly become an indispansatHecomplemenl to
the built in tacililies dI your BBC micro
fhis package contains ttie Toolslai firmware in Ep'om and a very comprehensive manual lover
IBOpagesl containing many examples and illustrations In help you make Ihe best use ot
Tooisiar s enciiing capabilities
Toolalar shodt new light on your BBC micro
Too'sJai being Eprom-based willbepermatienlly resident inyoui computer allowing all of ils
commanOsto be immediately available It is transparent' lo both the user and Ihe operating
system onceacommandhasbeena'ecuted control is returned lo Basic orwhicheverROM
had control prior lo Ihe command
Full error handling has been incorporated add tor new Users there are lull help menus describing
each command and ils syntax
Po warful building blocks lor Bailcprogramniers?
Within Tocilstai there are l?2rnmir'ands S ofw+iict' oper ale between PAGE and TOP le on the
current Basic program or Basic orogramming environment These commands obey Standard
Basir command iiiintaK rules
Reveal the deepest secrets of your discs
TiMislai allowsltie operations o( Formatting Vsnfying readingotwriting anise sector lobe
cartieOoutuery simply Irom Basic I e all thenecessary building blocks required to develop a
comprehensive set of disc utilities, simply and effeclively
Lost your memory? — No more amnesia MithToolslart ■
I n addition 10 Ihe com ma ndsdescribedatiovelliere are 9 commands when operate on Ihe whole
ol the BBC's memory and are designed 111 fomplemfni Ihe BBC slxiili-ir assembler These
includea lull leaiuredissassemblpr and memory oump eachwilh forward and reverse scrolling
It this is no) enough Toofs tar can be Extended!
There are three help menus on Toolslar which may be Oblained by lyping HELP TOOLS 'HELP
MCODE or 'HELP EXTEND Thethirdoptionmenu will inlially display thetollowing'
■HELP EXTEND
EXTEND- RAM adds ■
le typing 'EXTEND address" willallowtheuserloeilendthelacllitiesol TooWlarwith
routines which are supplied by himself The manual describes fully how Ibis operation is earned
out and illustrates it with spvprw eiamples
In the future such utilities will be made available on disc and cassette from Pace Itius altowing a
comprehensive libra r^ oi utility programs to lie tjuilt- up
E34.00 Iftc. VAT A Carriage.
Access and Barclaycard
Dealer Enquiries welcome
Send for more information to:
92, New Cross Street,
Bradford BD58BS.
Telephone: 0274 729306
Telex: 51 564
TCL-PANASONK
3" Disk Drive - The Choice . . .
^i^^f^
Twillstar Computers
INGENUITY, DURABILITY, COMPATABILITY . . .
This is the Twillstar (TCL) Panasonic 3" Disk Drive which features the
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Ideal for use in education and other environments where rough use is
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Compatible with all disk interfaces, comprehensive manual and utilities
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DESIGN, COLOUR, SIZE . . .
This 3" Disk Drive is totally housed in a high stability aluminium two piece
casing, with a light plastic face, and a unique automatic steel shutter
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The size is a compact 160mm length x 90mm wide x 55mm deep.
FEATURES, CAPACITY, USAGE . . .
This 3" Disk Drive uses 3" diskettes which are handled like a cassette,
100K each side of the diskette, giving you 200K. It can be purchased with
cables, formating disk and comprehensive manual. Ready to plug in and
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DISKETTES, SPECIFICATIONS, ACCESS . . .
You may use any 3" Diskettes, Maxell, Panasonic, Hitachi etc; these are
cassette like cartridges encaged in rigid plastic with the disk surfaces
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on-line storage.
YOUR SPECIAL PRICES!
3" TCUPANASONIC DISK DRIVE
Offer Price E99 + VAT - £113.85
(includes Manual)
CABLES AND FORMATING DISK
Offer Price £19 + VAT = £21 .85
3" PANASONIC DISKETTES
Special Offer of £4.50 each
HOW TO ORDER
To lake advantage of this special offer all you have to do is fill in the
coupon below with your name and address, enclosing your cheque/P.O.
made payable to Twillstar Computers Ltd; if you are a Barclaycard or
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TWILLSTAR COMPUTERS LTD, 17 REGINA ROAD, SOUTHALL,
MIDDLESEX
EEa
Twillstar Computers
Limited
17 REGINA ROAD. SOUTHALL, MIDDLESEX UB2 5PLTEL: (01 } 574 5271
Post to; TWILLSTAR COMPUTERS LTD,
17 REGINA ROAD, SOUTHALL, MIDDLESEX.
Please send me (No.) 3" TCL Panasonic Disk Drives, at
£113.85 inclusive of VAT, plus E3. 50 post, packing and insurance.
Also send me (No.) Cabte(s) for (slate your micro)
and Formating Disk and Manual at E23,00 each inclusive
of VAT
I would like to take advantage of 3" Diskettes byPANASONic please send
me (No.) at £4,50 each inclusive of VAT
i enclose my cheque/P.O, for E
IprefertousemyACCESS/BARCLAYCARD
(delete whichevernot applicable)
CardNo. - -
Signature-
Name _ -
Address
Credit cards valid if signd by card holder. Address above must be ^ML
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ft multi-stoge orcodc-sty'® Qonie in ujhich you take control of
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from the author of Percy PenguiaMr.UUizisofost-Qction multi-scene
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(1 ) Rll oursoftujore is ovoiloble before lue advertise.
(2) flII our softujore is despatched Luithin 48 hours bv First-class post.
(3) in the unlihely event that an[f of our softuiore fails to load, return your
cossette to us ond lue luill immediately send a replacement.
Si
ji|l|;pip:j|||:|P
Utility Toolkit in ROM for the
BBC Micro
A BRIEF SPECIFICATION
■FIND — find any string or kavword In a Basic proararn
■REPLACE — a string or expression with one of ANY length
'LVAR — dacimal or hexBdecimal variable list
■CRUNCH — compacts program into multi-statement lines
'DEREM — one of three less drastic compacters
■EXPAND — open up a gap in the line numbering
■LSTERR — automatic error line listing ready for editing
•MERGE - one programe to anothar.wlth auto renumbering
■REPAIR - a 'Bad Program' and list suspect lines In it
•SHIFT — a Basic program up or down to anv page
•KEYS - displav defined key contents in editable form
•MEMLOCS — print at pseudo-variables and memory free
■LOCK — make a software protected cassette tape
■PDUMP — a large scale Epson printer dumper with border
•REMOVE - as Basics' delete but done instantly
Plus ten more useful utilities for program development
and debugging. Compare these facilities and our price, then
decide on the Intersoft U-TOOLS system.
Needs OS 1.20 (and a spare ROM socket)
£26.95 (Inclusive of VAT and P&P)
Send cheque or P.O. to INTERSOFT
26, Netherfield Road, Sandiacre, Nottingham. NG10 5LN
Trade enquiries welcome
UK's LOWEST PRINTER PRICES! o™a.
M
1 • UjJ 0_J
ORDERED TODAY- DELIVERED TOMORROW
DOT- MATRIX
EPSON RX80 £189.95
EPSON RX 80 F/T £219.00
EPSON RX100 £329.00
EPSON FX80 £317.00
EPSON FX100 £425.00
DOT MATRIX PLUS NEAR-LETTER QUALITY
CAIMOIM PW1080A
DAISY-WHEEL
JUKI 6100
EPSOIM DX100
£249.1
£345.00
£356.00
£32.00
£12.00
£10.95
ACCESSORIES
WORDWISE
PAPER (2000 Sheets)
BBC/PRINTER CABLE
COPYALLDISK
• Copies ALL protected disks inc. tape to disk utilities.
• Best on the market *>-t/\ or
• Copies from original to your blank disk £10.25
Educational, G'ment plus O'seas Orders Welcome
Please add 15% VAT Delivery Printers El 0.00. Paper E3,00 Other 50p
Printerland. Unit 27, Estate Buildings, Railway St., Hudderstield HDl UP
TEL HUDDERSFIELD (0484) 514105
Betterby
definition •••
Phillips V7001 12"Tube
High Resolution Computer Monitor
TwrnssrcWput««
^^ 1^ 01 1^* ^^
345frtm width x SOOmm deplhx30Smffl height'
This ^>ecial V7Q01 Phillips monochrome computer monitor comesdirect to you
from Iwlllstar Computers Ltd at the exceptional price of £75 inclusive of VAT.
IWIIIstar Computers Ltd have negotiated with Phillips to bring you this 12' Tube high
resolution monitor which has tieen specially designed to display alphanumerlcal
and graphic information, generated by home and personal computers.
Itotterscompatibiiitywithvarioustypesofcomputers.il accepts composite video
signals(CVBS)aswellasRGB. synchronisation and sound signals!
The monitor provides a clearly legible display wilh a maximum ot 80 characters per
line and 25 lines per display. The display format is full screen Z50 x ZOOmm.
To reduce eye fatigue the picture tube has undergone a special anti>^lare treatment.
The monitor also features a two position, adjustable stand.
Juat look at the featuros!
1 . 12" Mflh PBSiriutkKi picture tuba.
Z. Itaro position >4iistalile stand.
3. Antl-^are treatfld scroon.
4.Pai8reen|Aosplior.
5. CVBS Input iHnnections.
6. fffiS and synctiponlsatton and
soindbipirt connection.
7. Sound Input 0.3 watts.
8. ISMItz Bandwidth.
9. ZIMM) ctiaractor display control.
10. Compatible with home and
peramalcomiwteps.
n . Precision deflection unit lor
low seometric distoption.
And of course, exterior controls allow you to switch on/oft volume, brightness,
contrast, vertical size, vertical hold and horizontal siie.
This unique specially designed monitor measures 345mm width x 300mm depth x
302mm high. Order now while stocks fasti
TCL
HOW TO ORDER
Atl you have to do is fill in your requirements on a piece ol
paper with your name and address enclosingyour cheque/
PO.madepayabletoTWILLSTARCOMPUTERSLTO.lfyou
are a Barclaycard or Access card holder, please use coupon
and post to address below.
Please allow 14 to 28 days for tielivsry.
i
IWillstar
Computers Limited
1 7 REGINA ROAD. SOUTHALL, MIDDLESEX UB2 5PL TEL: {01 } 574 5271
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
83
SLOGGER SOFTWARE
MACHINE CODE GAMES FOR BBC 'B', ELECTRON, SPECTRUM 16/48K
A MAZE IN SPACE DOGFIGHT
UiB Joyjiicks Of Key-
boards to navigate your
Starship to the planet
surface and then into
the maze below. Having
been told in which
section of the maze
your target is hidden,
your objective it to
seek out and destroy it
to complete a mission.
Beware of the numerous
alien defence systems. Two levels of difficulty! Horizontal
and diagonal scrollingl
How many missions can you complete?
Still undoublediv the
most exciting
2'player game available.
The objective \t to fire
sufficient shots into
your enemy aircraft to
force it to explode.
Eight levels of difficulty.
Sun, moving cloud,
lightning, ground all
provide real combat
environment.
Can you beat your
friends?
Available now
Cassette
Disc
Available now Cassette
Disc
BBC 'B'
£9.95
Special Offer
£11.95
Dogfight and A Maze In Space together
Cassette -£14.95 Disc -£16.95
Please state 40 or 80
Track if disc
BBC'B'
Electron
Spectrum
£9.95
£7.95
£5.50
£11.95
n/a
n/a
All prices include
VAT and postage
SLOGGER SOFTWARE
215 BEACON ROAD
CHATHAM, KENT
Tel: (0634)811634
ADD 40 COMMANDS TO
BBC BASIC WITH ONE ROM
SCALE is a iMwierfiil arxl I
Allows the usor tu take
SCI pen, I ntpgcrs, real
HUT ATE is used to 'rotiite
jtally fleniblf statement that
;oiitrol of thf scaling of Che
lumbers and variables can be used.
' the axes about 3 point and by
an angle both defined by the ROTATE statement on a scaled
SiC t Ben ,
CIRCLE and El.L 1 PSE allow a multitude of shapes to be drawn
using a single statement, includingi- any regular |x)lygon,
circles, arcs, solid sectors, triangles, squares, etc.
fH-L is used to 'fill' a previously drawn area, with CFILL
setting thp coiour/patlern/shade within pre-drawn bounds.
TRANS is used to translate the scaled area across the ■icreer
by the use of cartesian co-ordinates, subsequent graphics
naking use of the ntjw dtsplaceii scaled area.
H
I .
TRANS
_ bv t
8
pii
SMOVE, SDRAW, SPIAIT and IINSCALE.
4
IH
1
1.1.1 SI can be prixjraramed, unlike MST, and undpr the User's
control, multiple ■.tatemtnt lints tvin Ih> split up into their
component parts allowing fur gteatt^r pasf of reading.
I -GOTO is simiUt to the GOTO statement but more powerful in
that it enables the user Lo jump to 'labelled lines' allo<
for neater and more readable procjramines .
SQBI allows the user to sort all ur part of a string array
into alphabetical order using a single statement. Invalu
for data processing,
SliTWlN and WIN al Itjw the user to define,
display, using WIN up to seven complete
The user being able to select and retur
selected windows at will, the cursor ma
used position within that window.
og
sing SET1M1N, and
i ndows on the sc reen . ,
to previously de- _
lalning it's last Jm
a
1
I
1
B
•A
Plus
OPT. IttPFOR. PDTOOS, RJMREP and ADIXXlMM.
Compatible withi Acorn DFS,
Aincor*{P.ice| [IFS, Watford DFS,
Wordwise, Disc Doctor.
Model B, BASIC 1 or 2, OS 1.20
ADDCOMM
Plusi 'HELP displays the
full syntax of alj. commands.
Price includes a detailed
ring-bound Usee Guide.
LMJVE is used to position the LOOD cursor, usually used
prior to further LOGO statements.
ANCLE is used to set the intended direction of the LOGO
cursor, the angle being described in degrees.
ADVANCE is used to move the cursor in the direction as set
by ANGLE by the distance described in the ADVANCE statement,
TURN gives the cursor a new direction by turning it a certair
number of degrees anti-clockwise from its previous directior
PEN defines the kind of trail left by the LOGO turtle using
the internal plot codes.
LCIRCLE and LELLIPSE are the LOGO equivalents of the similar
enhanced graphics commands, the shape centre beillg the
current LOGO cursor position,
LWJS is used to return the position of the LOC» cursor from
a SCAl.Ed screen.
These cornmands are unlike those on any other ROM,
since they are used in exactly the same way as the
standard BASIC commands - i.e. any numeric/string
expression, multi-line statements, access to any
variable, and, of course no starsl
£28
i nc 1 ude i
V , A . r .
fmst and
packing.
NOW
AVAILABLE
FOB
ILBCVaOH
WITH ROM BOARD
CHAR is a simplified 'character' designing facility using .in
enlarged grid that enables the user to quickly .ind easily
construct or alter graphic and pseudo-alphanumeric characters,
COMPACT is used to reduce the si^e of all or part of an exist-
ing program by intelligently appending lines together.
'•'IND is used to search all or pact of a program to find any
desired character or set of characters.
GI^En- and 5REPL are two related commands that enable the user
to replace a character or group of characters with any other
character or group of characters, under total control of user,
l-VAB is used to list all, or alphabetically selected, variable
names currently within memory.
VERIFY is a simple command to confirm that a copy to tape or
disc is exactly the same as the original program in memory.
Plus i MEN, GOODfROC, KILLHEM and FKEVS.
T
i
K
I
I
VINE MICROS, MARSHBOBOUGH,
SANDWICH. KENT CT13 OPQ.
(Or send stamp fot Brochure.)
64
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
The Original
''NEWARK
TV/RGB Monitor
55
It's £249.94
Incl. VAT — complete
package!!
''*''^'.,
ft-i
^-^ The package:
£249.94 for a remote control 14" TV with a
computer lead — delivered to your door —
including VAT (we even fit a mains plug!)
and carriage.
We have a Large range of Grundig models from
14" to 26" with or without Teletext.
Contact Elaine for an up to date leaflet package.
NEWARK VIDEO CENTRE LTD.
108 London Road, Balderton, Newark, Notts.
0636 71475 to order by Access or Visa
Mon-Sat/9 am — 6pm
MUSICSOFT
Ml Sl< SIMX I MIS I S lOR 1 1 If. 32k BIK MK RO
• THESYNTH*(O.S.l 0+)
"A vcrv ft'ViWi- LiiiJ inicii'm- profinirn llhil'\ liix''h ri-i ommi-iuhihli- .' i Dr DliyhI ICtbs.
EAMM. Oil HJI Thih "synihesi^cr' program lias Iciimri-.s winch lo mir knovvlL'djic ari^
unique. ALTER RHYTHM Thi- rhyiKm of u rttorilcd melody miiy he iiUcrcd h) liippinj!
on a ^ingk key. REPEAT. No need lo pl;iy a phruw iwicc. greal saving in spuco. REAL-
TIME PLAYING. With alieraiion of volume, t-nvdopc ami oclavt' pitch as you pluv ;i niHc.
EDITING Back and forwards whilst hearing ihe tunc. INPLl May be hi'siuml or in
correci lime. TIDY. 'Cleans up' matTurat'ies ofinpui on demand! NUMBER OE NOTES,
From mm for I channel lo HXXl for .'. eie. Plus all Ihc olher synlhesi/er programs do PLUS.
IE sophisUcHled envelope cdiiing (very casj). larger keyboard used (TAB io4' cursor). No
Kcreis, uwr iranspareni This is ihc program for Ihc cxpenmenier wlio wiinis lo make
HUMAN mu5ic niiher ihan perform maihcmaUCiil linger dcxierily ciercises. THE SYNTH
CasselleA msiruciionsonly £H.7Sirc ?SiV
• KEYBOARDS* (O S.I +
5 programs lo liirr your UIJC iiuu ? icil-ume keyboards I .1 simuluineous voices Im Basi<
for easy undcrsiandingl 2. Single voice M.C wuh Piieh Bend. }.} simulluneou.s voice M'C
»'ilh Envelope control buili in. 4, Single finger Chord orpn ranging over the whole key-
board. 2 variations for each chord. 5. Chord organ 2 wuh dilTereni chord conliguralion
These arc all separate programs designed for you louse as ihey are or in your own programs.
KEYBOARDS cassctie & mslruclions£5.7S inc P&P
• MUSiCTQOLS • (all OS;
Muiirsi'i'nilMi prndiHciin c.yielle'il ' St mi, li'oL I \n\ii-!U- . . ull in all.nilher ginid vulue"
il-.SMM OilKi}
Five music uiililv programs on one tape.
Tune Generaiot with dynamic graphic Keyboard & Slave displaj. Envelope Command
Explorer (Very easy 10 usel. Musical Symbols Graphic routine. Simple single line organ wiih
sophisiicaied controls. Over 60 prncedures for you lo use in your progmnu already in work-
ing programs.
ML'SICrOOLS I casscue * insinieiions £5.75 inc. P&P.
PIEMAN* (all O.S.)
T'lf 6fM wrsim oj Simim I'w jccn. ii gi^.-.v .«j miuhjurilwr iluiti inusi' iQuinc hy a rival
iiiflwurc firm!! Refommcndedjo' Primarv & Middle Sihauh.
Not as simple as Simon! Il develops inlo a fun set of ear cleaning and musical concentration
gimcs.
PIEMAN casseiie &insiruclions £5.75 inc. P&P.
ALL PROGRAMS TRANSFER EASILY TO DISC.
Cbequfi •iiul I'tl'diil iitdt-rs w
MUSICSOFT. Dept N, U Fallowfield. .Ampthill. Beds.
Tetephimc; 0525 401701
AH 4 !ir,<g,om\ uii 411 Iru^k .Hm - iVi III!
DAISY STEP
2000 Daisy Wheel
Printer ^«.-----'
TwairtarComputef*
QlJfQf £259wcu;s«f_
*FREE CABLE
«FREE PAPER
... At the Special price of £259 inclusive of VAT and Post. Packing
and Insurance, this is indeed a unique opportunity to own an
amazingflexible Daisy Wheel Printer!
Just look at the featuresi
1.18CPS
2.Bidipectional
3. Logic seeking
4. Proportional tracing
5. Wordstar compatible
6.iaplaten-12prhitline
7. Auto underscore
8. Bold and stiadow printing
9. Sub & superscripts
10. QUME compatible ribbons
n . QUME compatible daisy wheels
12. 4 level impression centre!
13. Prints original + 4 copies
14. Low noise
This extremely attractive printer comes complete with free printer
cable and 500 sheets of test run paper -just to make sure you get
everything running smoothly!
TCL
HOW TO ORDER
TopufchaselhisDaisyStepEOOODaisy Wheal Prinler, simply write
your name and addfess on a piece ol paper and post to ue enclosing
ynutchequeorPO. made payable to Twillsiar Computers Ltd.
I( you are an Accosa'Barclaycard holder, simply use the telephone to
place your order.
Twillstar
Computers Limited
17 Regina Road, Southall. MIDDLESEX. UB2 5PL. TEL: (01 ) 574 5271
ft
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
85
THE BBC MICRO SOUND SYSTEM
MICROVOC
As supplied to Schools & Colleges
SYSTEM INCLUDES:
Speakers, Volume control, jack sockets
and all connections (assembled) plus
Buzzgo to eliminate the infernal B.B.C.
buzz.
Easily fitted with no drilling, soldering or
cabinet modifications £23-00 inc VAT and
P &P
MICROVOC WITHOUT SPEAKERS
£15 inclusive
Micro Box external socket also allows
you to connect directly to your hi-fi
system - now you can rattle the windows
with Planetoid etc. . .
MICROVOC IS IDEAL FOR SPEECH
SYNTHESIS OR COMPUTER PRODUCED
MUSIC
MICRO-ADVENT
Ashlyn House, 113 Writtle Road, Chelmsford, Essex.
Tel: 0245 59708
LISP for Micros
Steve Oakey
LISP is important in artificial intelligence and
robotics. Assuming that you can already program
in either BASIC or Pascal, this book starts you off
with simple examples, gradually developing your
expertise to the point where you can understand
and use the advanced facilities of LISP. It
introduces and explains programming in LISP
using normal iterative methods, recursion and
LISP interpreter. Finally, the book deals with
program design and development in LISP.
208pages £7.95 Softcover
Recently published:
Artificial Intelligence in BASIC by Mike James
Coming shortly:
LOGO for Micros by Martin Lesser
ewnes Technical Books
Borough Green, Sevenoaks, Kent TN15 8PH
J
Mi
UNBELIEVABLE
SAVINGS
COMPUTERS **
EX VAT
APRICOT 256K315Kx2MONITOR C1425-00
APRICOT ^56K7^0Kx^MONITOR £1625-00
APRICOT Xi256k5MBMONITOR E2175.00
APRICOT Xi 256k lOMa MONITOR £2295.00
APRICOT Optional 12m MONITOR E220.00
CIFER 9000MulliUsef31MB E509S.00
COMMODORE 8250 DISK DRIVE £785.00
COMMODORE 8296 £695.00
COMMODORE SX 64 PORTABLE £675.00
COMMODORE 64 £152,17
COMMODORE DISK 1541 £165.21
COMMODORE I66KPARALLELINTERFACE £59.50
COMMODORE 1530C2NCASSETTE £32.00
COMPAQ E1895.00
EPSON QX10 £1600.00
KAYPRO tl £945.00
KAYPRO 10MB £1995-00
OLIVETTI M20160KB2«320KBDrives C1295.00
OLIVETTI M24128KB2>i360KBDrives £1658-00
OLIVETTI M24 128KB 10MB Hard Disk £3315.00
OSeORNE I £1175.00
SAGE ll&IV POA
SANYO MBC555 128K2«160K Drives £795-00
SIRIUS 256K10MB £2850-00
SIHIUS 256K2.4MB £2095.00
SIRIUS 128K 1 ^MB £1545.00
SIRIUS Memory Expansions from £222.00
SIRIUS Express Acceleralor Boards POA
PLUS 5 External Maid Disk Drives POA
* *
VDU's& TERMINALS**
CIFER
NAZELTINE
OUME
TELEVIDEO
ESPRIT Fixed Keyt>oard
QVT103IVT100VTI311
910
£760.00
£395.00
£695.00
£489.00
** SOFTWARE**
ALL MAJOR SOFTWARE PROGRAMS SUPPLIED AT
LOW COST
Plus:
Not only do we offer top quality products at low
prices We also support and develop Soflvi^are wilfi
the assistance of our long established software
depi
MATRIX PRINTERS**
ANADEX
ANADEX
BROTHER
BROTHER
CANON
CANON
EPSON
EPSON
EPSON
EPSON
EPSON
HONEYWELL
MANNESMANN
MANNESMAN
NEC
NEWBURY
NEWBURY
OKI
OKI
OKI
OKI
SEIKOSHA
SHINWA
STAR
STAR
STAR
STAR
STAR
STAR
TEC
TOSHIBA
TREND
OP-6500500cps
WP-6000
EP44
HR5
PW1080A160cpS|NLO)
PW1156A160cps(NLO)
RX8DT100cpS
RX80F/T1O0cps
FX80160cps
FX100F/T160cps
LQ1500200cpS(NLO»
MT80B0cps
MT180160cpS(NLQ)
PINWRITER
DRE 8850 3001pm
ORE 8925 240cpB
B2A120cps
B4A200cps
OKI92P160cpE
OKI2410P350cps
GP1C0A
CP80ModelllFT
DELTA 10!60cps
DELTA 15 leOcps
GEMINM0X120cps
GEMINI15X120cps
RADIX 10200cps(NLQ)
RADIX 152O0cps(NLQ|
1550120cps
TH2100H192cps
9302O0cpsNLOa0cpS
EX VAT
£2019-00
£1808.00
£199.00
£129.00
£279.00
£339.00
£195.00
£220.00
£324.00
£430.00
£895.00
POA
£199.00
£590.00
POA
£2095.00
£1385.00
£255.00
£630.00
£379,00
£1535.00
El 65-00
£175-00
£329.00
£445.00
£199-00
£295.00
£449.00
£54900
£465.00
£1275.00
£1350.00
MAYFAIR
MICROS
BLENHEIM HOUSE, POOMORE ROAD,
LONDON SW18 1AJ
TEL: 01-870 3255
We accept olllcial orders from UK Goveinmeol and
Educational EsIaOlishments. Mail Order and Export
Enquiries welcome. Callers by appomtmen!.
** DAISYWHEEL**
** PRINTERS **
BROTHER
BROTHER
BROTHER
BROTHER
BROTHER
BROTHER
CANON
OAISYSTEP
DIABLO
DIABLO
FUJITSU
JUKI
NEC
NEC
NEC
NEC
NEC
NEC
OLYMPIA
QUME
OUME
QUME
QUME
RICOH
RICOH
RICOH
RICOH
RICOH
RICOH
SILVER REED
SMITH
CORONA
TEC
TEC
TEC
TEC
UCHIDA
* *
EX VAT
HR1 £445.00
HR15 E329.O0
HRISKeyboard £135,00
HR15Sheel!eeder £185,00
HR1 5 Tractor Feed £62,M
HR2fi £549,00
AP400KSR £760,00
200020cps £240,00
630AR £1315.00
Sheel Feeder £490.00
SP830RO(S)80cps £1195,00
610018cps £325,00
2O10Serial2Ocps £645,00
2030 Parallel 20cps £645.00
3510Serial35cps £1149,00
3530 Parallel 35cps £1 1 49,00
7710 Serial 55cps £1499,00
7730 Parallel 55cps £1499-00
ESW103 £825.00
IIMORO £1185-00
n/55RO £1370,00
9/45 RO £1550-00
9/55 RO £1900.00
RP1300S £895,00
RP16005 £1190-00
RP1600SFLOWRITER8k £1249,00
RP1600S FLOWRITEH 8k
IBM PC £1299,00
RPieOOSSheel Feeder £459,00
RPieOOSTraclor £138,00
EXP550(P) 16cps £570,00
TP113CPS £195,00
STARWRITEH F 104040cps £895,00
STARWRITeHF1055 55cps £1235,00
Sheetfeedei £459,00
Tractor £1 38.00
DWX,305(SorP)18cps £230,00
PLOTTERS**
MANNESMANN PIXY PLOTTER
GOULD PLOTTER
£495,00
POA
86
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
BBC MICRO REPAIRS
by MICROnX
ACORN AUTHORISED SERVICE CENTRE
"Cumana Disc Drive and Acorn DFS
supplied and fitted at low prices"
We will repair your faulty BBC micro, disc
drive or monitor quickly and at a
reasonable charge, Most repairs cost
between £10 and £20.
We can also offer extended warranties on
all your equipment.
Send S.A.E. for full price list
Phone 01 -968 921 4
or call in at
191 Freston Road,
(Latimer Road Tube)
London W10
and ask for
Mark Duffill or Derek Mullings.
BROMLEYS FIRST
SPECIALIST COMPUTER STORE
We are official Acorn Dealers with high
standards to maintain and take pride in
friendly and efficient advice and service.
See our extensive range of printers,
monitors, disc drives, software and
books.
DqIq f lore
6 Chatterton Road, Bromley, Kent. 460 8991
Canon [p
Wire Dot Printer
A Printer with Flexibility and
Reallmpact...
AffAf £28 /»"^-^^
*Prlce includes free
printer cable
... If you are looking for high-speed, high quality printing in one
compact unit, then this Canon PW-1080A unit is for you. Couple
that with the special fully inclusive Twillstar offer price of £289, and
you have a really exceptional bargain !
The features include:
^Highspeed printing: 160
characters per second
^Bi-directional, logical
seeking
^Quiet operation: less than
60dB
:i«lli^-resolution graphic
printing: Nx 16 dot matrix
^Downloading lor user-
optional characters
H>'4 character styles
printahle on the same line
^Superscript and subscript
available
^international character
sets selectable
:{iSelectable line feeding: W'
and programmable
^Handles; roll paper,fan!old,
single sheet and multipart
copy paper
TCL
HOW TO ORDER
To purchase the Canon PW-1080A printer, simply write your
name and address on a piece of paper, and posi to the
address below, enclosing your cheque/P.O. made payable to
Twillstar Computers Ltd,
It you are a Credit Card Holder, simply use ttie teleptione to
place your order. ^"'_
Computers Limited
17REGINAR0AD,S0UTHALL,IV1(DDLESEXUB25PL. TEL; (01)5745271
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
87
COMPETITION
I
Simon Dally
delivers another
problem cooked up
by the demented
dungeon-dweller.
MAD ALEX
GETS
AMICABLE
Can you find the
combination to
Kitty's Kitchen
byjuggling
amicable numbers?
THIS month you find yourself back
in tfie y^ corn (yserdungeon. As you
trace your patfi beneath the
sewers of Long Acre, brushing aside
the debris of centuries of Covent
Garden vegetables and failed compe-
tition entries, you notice a sign with an
arrow pointing upwards and a placard
proclaiming The Freemason's Arms.
'Verity there be magicke afoot here.'
you tell yourself as you thrust aside the
manhole cover. And God's teeth, who
should confront you, stuffing himself
with bangers and chips (especially the
latter), with beans only 30p extra, but
your old adversary Mad Alex!
Having ordered your wild boar's
head with potter sauce and ward stuff-
ing you satisfy yourself that for once in
his miserable life Mad Alex is in dwarf
mode!
Newcomers to the dungeon may
need reminding that dwarves invari-
ably tell the truth at all times and trolls
always lie. Now, Alex explains to you as
he quaffs another hogshead of Bull's
Blood, he will introduce you to another
breed in the dungeon -the gremlins!
A gremlin, you learn, is somewhere
between a dwarf and a troll -but you
never know quite where you are with
them. Sometimes they lie. Sometimes
they tell the truth. 'Filthy brutes,' growls
Mad Alex, scooping up his beans with a
piece of veroboard, 'just like certain
computer manufacturers I know . . .'
With his soldering iron, Mad Alex
burns into the solid walnut veneer of
the table the problem you have to solve
before he will escort you further.
Actually, he ripped it off from Acorn
User reader Trev Buck, but he doesn't
like to admit it. It goes as follows:
'A pair of amicable numbers are
those where the factors of the first
number (apart from the number itself)
sum to give the second number; and
the factors of the second number (apart
from the number itself) sum to give the
first number. However, a number can-
not be 'self-amicable' -eg, 6 is self-'
amicable as 1 + 2 + 3^6. The first pair
of amicable numbers is 220 and 284.
The problem is to find the next four
pairs.'
Mad Alex scratches his gold earring
and says, 'Trev has written a program
in BBC Basic which finds them in 1 hour
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
13 minutes and 10 sees. I'm trying to do
better'.
For our purposes the numbers will be
referred to as Amicable 1 (220, 284)
Amicable 2 (the next pair), etc.
Mad Alex explains that in each of the
corners of the room he is about to show
you there is a dwarf, a troll and a grem-
lin. There is one exception: in corner 3
he has had to zap a recalcitrant troll
who was trying to steal his makeup - so
there is only a dwarf and a gremlin
there. In each case you must identify
who the gremlin is and follow only his
instructions. If you do the puzzle cor-
rectly you will end up with the number
of the combination lock to Kitty's
Kitchen, where untold culinary (and
other) delights await you.
You start off with the number 10.000
as yourcombination.
Corner 1
A: I am a gremlin. Add the numbers of
Amicable 2 to yourcombination.
B: A speaks the truth. Subtract the
lower number of Amicable 2 from your
combination.
C: I am a gremlin. Add the higher figure
of Amicable 2 to your answer.
Corner 2
A: I am a gremlin. Add the higher figure
of Amicable 3 to your answer.
B: A speaks true. Add the lower figure
of Amicable 3 to your answer.
C: I am not a gremlin. Add the differ-
ence between the two Amicable 3
figures to yourcombination.
Corner 3
A: Add both Amicable 4 numbers to
yourcombination,
B: Subtract the lower Amicable 4
number from your answer.
You ask A whether B is a gremlin.
From his (Yes/No) answer you can
deduce instantly which is the gremlin
and which is the dwarf.
Corner 4
This is the most difficult corner of all.
The three characters speak in a tongue
called Acornspeak (unknown to you),
and Alex (who is a bit of a tease) has to
translate for you. First they speak in
English.
A: Multiply your answer by the lower
figureof AmicableS,
B: Add the higher figure of Amicable 5
to your number,
C: Subtract the higher figure of Amic-
able 5 from your number.
Each then makes a declaration that
Mad Alex 'interprets' for you.
He says that A announces either that
C is a troll or that C is a gremlin, but he
(Alex) won't tell you which. Then he
tells you that B says A is either a dwarf,
a troll or a gremlin but again he (Alex)
won't tell you. Finally C speaks up and
Alex says has declared which
category B falls into but again he (Alex)
won't tell you which of the three it is.
But being a perfectly logical being,
bitwise, he (Alex) has already fath-
omed out which is which!
With the greatest restraint, and mind-
ful of your desire to get into Kitty's
Kitchen, you point out that while he may
know which is which, you don't have
enough information to go on. Alex then
relents and tells you exactly what A
said - and now you find you know what
type each character is without a
shadow of doubt.
What is the combination to Kitty's
Kitchen?
THIS MONTH'S PRIZES
{worth more than C580!)
THREE CUMANA
100k
DISC DRIVES
TO BE WON
(40-track, single sided)
The first three correct entries to be
pulled out of the hat will be the winners
Answers on a postcard please to arrive not later than October 5, 1984 to:
September Competition, Acorn User, Redwood Publishing, 68 Long Acre. London WC2E 9JH
BBC/ELECTRON PROFESSIONAL SOFTWARE
Our educational software is used in thousands of schools and homes
throughout Great Britain.
EDUCATIONAL 1 BBC/electron rape [sooascf woo
Houts ol (un and leaFRing tor ctijldten aped fiue to nine years Animated graphics will ericoiirafle
childien id enjoy counting, maths, spelling and telling the lime The tape includes six programs'
MATH 1 , MATH 2, CUBECOUNT, SHAPES, SPELL and CLOCK
'An excellent mixture ol games ' Personal Software - Autumn 1383
EDUCATIONAL 2 BBC/ELECTRON Tape C8.00 disc £IOOO
Allhouoh similar to Educational 1 this tape is more advanced and aimed at seven to twelve year
olds The tape includes MATH 1, MATH 2. AREA. MEMORY, CU8EC0UMT and SPELL
FUN WITH NUMBERS bbc^electron japefsoooiscaooo
These programs will teach and test basic counting, addilion and subtraction skills for foLi to seven
year olds The tape includes COUNTING. ADDING, SUBTRACTION and an arcade type game called
ROCKET MATHS which will exercise addition and subtraction. With sound and visual effects.
FUN WITH WORDS BBC/ElECIftON Tape ESOO Disc £W.OO
Start your fun with alphabet puzzle, continue your play with VOWELS, learn the difference between
THERE and THEIR, have games with SUFFIXES and reward yourself with a game of HANGMAN.
'Very good indeed' . . A&B Computing - Jan/Feb 1984
JIGSAW AND
SLIDING PUZZLES byP Wamer BBC.mCTROIH Tape £7 35 Disc [9 35
There are two jigsaw and four slidmg puzzles on a 3 ■ 3 and 4 - 4 grid. Each program starts off
at an easy level to ensure initial sui:cbss but gradually becomes fiarder It helps children to develop
spatial imagination and in solving problems The tape includes. OBLONG, JIGSAW. HOUSE,
NUMBERS, CLOWN and LEHERS.
KON-TIKI byJ Amos BBC Taps £12.35 Disc £14 95
Simulation program based on Thor Heyerdahl's KON-TIKI expedition En|Ov a journey on the KON
TIKI recording on a map the raft's position and entering notes in the logbook on creatures found,
unusual events etc. Inclusive of booklet, background information, maps and fully supportive
illustrated data sheets
**SP£CIAL OFFER**
Bur three titles and deduct £4. 00
Add 5Dp p&p pei order Please state BBC or ELECTRON oi
40 or 80 track foi discs
Golem Ltd, Dept A, 77 Qualitas, Bracknell. Berks RG1 2 4QG. Tel: 0344 50720
EXPORT
WE SUPPLY ACORN & TORCH. . . .
SPARE PARTS
PERIPHERALS
EPROMS
DISKS
SPECIALIST SOFTWARE
UPGRADE KITS
TO ANY PART OF THE WORLD
ALL AT COMPETITIVE PRICES.
VAT FREE.
SEND FOR OUR CURRENT PRICE LIST.
THIS MONTH'S OFFER
VERBATIM DISKS.
FREE DISKHEAD CLEANING KIT
WITH EACH BOX OF 10 51 " DISKS.
HOLDERNESS COMPUTERS
17 Westgate, Patrington, near Hull,
North Humberslde.
0964 30225.
7 COLOUR PRINTER!
Canon PJ 1080A
Colour Ink- Jet Printer
The ultimate in producing print-outs
in 7 VIVID colours! ^^^m
Oflfer £399 j=f::
Price includes
free cable.
The Canon Ink-Jet Printer has many features, but Its
mainfeatureisthecappingmechanisnn with completely
sealed ink supply operation! Capping prevents the ink
from drying out and dust particles from clogging up the
nozzles, giving you clear beautiful colour print-outs!
Office or home this is the ultimate in Colour! . . .at
£399 incluslveofVATit'sworth switching right now!
The features include:
* 7 Colour Drop on Demarid ink
jets.
* 37 cps, Bi-directional printing.
* High-resolution graphics.
* Extremely quiet, less than
50dB.
* W\\\ print on acetate sheets,
foroverhead projection.
* Long life ink cartridges-
3.5 million characters per
Colour!
* Very compact and lightweight.
* 8-Bit Parallel int-Epson
compatible.
* Easily replaced Colour
Cartridges.
* Accepts single sheets.
* International charactersets.
TCL
HOW TO ORDER
To purchase the Canon PJ 1080A phnler, simply write your
name and addressan a piece of paper, and post to ihe
address below enclosing yourcheque/P.O made payable
loTwillstar Computers Ltd.
CreditCardsIt you area Credit Card holder, simply use the
telephone to place your order.
VISA
Twillstar
Computers Limited
1 7 REGINA ROAD, MIDDLESEX UB2 5P2,TEL: (D1| 574 6271
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
89
Where do 100,000 DP Managers
obtain their computer supplies ?
-From Inmac
Better solutions for
professionals-faster!
These days, there are dozens of
companies offenng to supply your computer
needs. They come — and they go.
Yet more and more computer
prolessionals are turning to Inmac tor all their
requirements.
You don't need acomputertoworkout why.
Inmac are themselves truly professional in
every aspect of their business. They don't
quote silly prices on loss-leaders — and make
It up elsewhere. They provide competitive
prices and top-quality service across the
board.
And everything carried must be quality.
Inmac look after your bottom line - help you
provide a more cost effective computer service
over all
Inmac carries many products tor leading
name equipment like Centronics. DEC, Data
General. Diablo. Hewlett Packard. IBM. NEC.
Qume. Systime and Texas Instruments.
In addition you get:
*30 day risk-free trial,
* 12 months' minimum replacement
guarantee on most products ,
* Next day delivery and same day in the
London area.
A Protect it!
. ^^^^^^ ' Your computer system is vital —
and vulnerable, Inmac supply a whole range of
safety and security devices from special fire
extinguishers to clever security locks
PRODUCT OF
THE MONTH
Your 5 star
DEC
cartridge service
-v^t
3 YEAR GUARANTEE
30 day risk tree trial Free Advisory Service
Next day delivery Original DEC quality
We also supply most other ma|or
manufacturers disk cartridges. Just call
us to check your requirements.
PRINT
PERFECT
Whatever the make
whatever the type of
printer or typewriter
Inmac have the nghl
ribbon foi your needs
Precision manufact-
ured, with high
yield and quality
results. Print
wheels? Ours are
compatible with Diablo
Qume, Olivetti, etc
'T' SWITCHES
You won't find a larger range than Inmac -
we supply everything from a simple two device
switch up to the super sophisticated
Auto-T- Switch which "speaks" to
you and cues you
automatically.
CABLES AND CONNECTORS
Just tell us what connectionsyou need to make -
we will supply your requirements from stock today
We can also custom build cables to your specifi-
cation in only 5 days Inmac prices can save you
upto20%an( u
next day
delivery, no
minimum order
and a 3 year risk-free
guarantee.
09285 67S51 or 017409540
INMAC (UK) LIMITED INMAC (UK) LIMITED
Depi 818 , Davy Road, Dept BIB, 16 Silver Road
Astmoor, London W12 7SG
Runcorn, Cheshire, United Kingdom,
WA7 1PZ United Kingdom Telex 924313
Telex: 629819
90
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1384
The Twillstar Reliability.
It's what makes us
The Leading Computer Shop!
* TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR 24 HOUR TELEPHONE ORDERING SERVICE *
MISCELLANEOUS
PRINTERS
FREE INTERFACE CABLE & 500
SHEETS OF PAPER WITH ALL
PRINTERS
DOT MATRIX £389
EPSON FX8« ^-r^
Kf'SONRXSOt/'l i;27*>.n«
K.I'SONFXMHI t499.IM)
El'SONKXKIOK/T U'W.OO
SHINWA
s[iiN\vAci*s« tiyy.oo
mannp:smann lAi.i.VMrso n3«.u«
fOSMOSSd iV)9M
Rl I KMAN MAi RIX PRIN I KR
SIICiiliinin.rrKiiuii:iiHlpiiill-L'. I21ICPS. Hi-
DircLiuniiil, Hi-Ri:siinilhl(n.k L!i'M[ihics. 'J \9m;i!iiv
iriifiJosccnilL'rv, iiurnKii,L'\|i;iiiL[cil.4.i)ndcnsL'J
printing. cmphasiscJiiiiilJouhIc sir ikL prinliiii!. IiuIIla
pnnliiiy. auiuiiiKiLTliniii!;. ■.tib\cnpi amlsiipurvLiipls.
iriicrnalii>iijIclKiraL-kTM.'iN.i.MsyaL.\i.-sMlipv\\iiLlK's,
1:1 Hiuh-Rc'-llrucL'irLli.'saniJ squares), opt iiinul iraciur
uiiil.oprionalR.S:.12Cimcrluc4: £230.0(1
CANNON
CANNON PWIOKOA USfM
t:\NN0NP\VII5fiA 099.(H)
CANNON PJ1080A
COI.OIRPRINTKR OW.OO
Colour Drop im IX-maiid Ink Jet. 4()CPS. Bi-
DircLiionai Priniiiij;, Hijili-rcsoliilion Graph i;.'s.
HxirL-niL'K i.|ini-'t. lcsstluin5Ui!B. klcal liirOvcrhcui!
Priijcclion. l.orig-lilc Ink Cartridges, ^ 5 Million
Characters per Colour. Vl-i\ eonipaet and I iglil weight
S-Bii ['aralld Int Epson eoiiipatibie. liasilv replaeed.
Accepts sinjilo sheets. lnicrn;ilioiial character scls.
DAISYWHEEL PRINTERS
Jllkl6l00 079.00
BROTHER IIRI5 O«>5.00
l.'CPS. III. 12. IfiClPanUpniportionalspitcini: iipto
I(i5 characters per line, colour prim iny. shadow
priniiiii!. supepsiihseripLaulounderliTiint:. text
rcprintini;. .'K Butter Standard.
Ki-vb(iard £160.00
ShtetFeeder £228.00
Tractor llnit £109.00
DAISVSTRP £259.00
H31
MONITORS
ALL MONITORS COME WITH
FREE CONNECTING CABLES
NOVEX14"£2!5
MONITOR
Lov,-eost model for personal
eompiilers. 14" .Screen colour
display RGB andconiposiLc
inputs. SvviU'h toallow n>onitor
to he used as green screen monitor. Swiieh niode.iuio-
reguiated power supply Piolcssionaliy-sivlcd Metal-
Cabinet ni BBC Micrii-eoloiirs.
PHriJ.[P.S\700l £75.00
COLOUR MONITORS
MICROVETlCCL'lt 1431 R<iBSlandard
Res £199.00
MICKOVE TIC ClIJ 1451 RGB Modium
Res £299.00
MICROVKTICCIB 1441 RGB Hish Res £399.0t)
TV/MONITOR -
NORDMENDEf249
14 TV/MONIIOR
ThisTVMoniluris nol aniodilicd television as many
TV Monitors are. hula I4"TV' Monitor which has been
designed to perl'orm both lunclioiis. Ii has RCiBand
Composiis video and sound. An RGB cable lor a BBC
is supplied ;!s standard With Renioie Control.
DISK DRIVES
TEAC DISK DRIVES
INCLUDES FREE CABLES,
FORMATTING DISK &
MANUALS
TEAC 5SAS/S 40 TRACK
imiKSinule ...£140.00
:0()KDual £280.00
TE.AC 5SE S/S 80TRACK
20()K Siiiiile £190.00
4ilOKDual £380.00
TEAC 55FD/S 80 TRACK
400K.Siiii:le £220.00
SOOKDual £440.00
Power Supply Unit lOpiinnal) £29.00
40/SnSwiich £8.00
Twillstar
Computers
Limited
17REGINA ROAD- SOUTH ALL MIDDLESEX
TEL: (01)574 5271-TELEX NO. 25247 TIL
MICRON EPROM PROGRAMMER FOR, BBC
MICRO £49.00
Will pro;jramriie: 27I2S. 2764. 27.^2. 2.^12 & 2716
F.CROMS. Desianod lo be senii-mte!ligenl and uses
THE HIGH EFFICIENCY ALCiORITHM lor
prograinniing 2764 i: 27l2S's. Whereas other
macliines can take Id MINS to prosiram a 27I2K I6K
eproin. the MICRON PROGRAMMER (ivpieallyl
lakes 3 MINS,
Why waste lime when you could program live 27l2K's
in the same lime as others t;ike to program one! Pully
menu tlriveii.
BBC MICROCOMPUTER
Model B £399.00
Model B& Disk Interface £469.00
Model B & Econet £446.00
Model B&Econiic& Disc Interface £516.00
Teletext Receiver £225.(m
Telelest £225.00
65(12 £199.00
TURN VOIR BBC TO A BUSINESS MICRO!
U.SEAZSO: £299.50
Conneel up a /KO"^' and your BBC Microcomputer
becomes :i complete husiness micro, with all llie
computing p<iwer a protessional needs. The ZISO unit
contains a second imcroprocessor which will work
alongside the BBC Microcomputer's own processor
TtigclJier, the) make a roriiiiJable leum!
To put your new computer into action, ihe /SO pack
mckidcs a sel ol programs that cover all the nuiior
business applications, and that make the most ol the
sysieiirs impressive capabililies. With ZHO sysienis,
big businesses can distrihuie wurk stations among all
their decision makers. And small businesses can at ford
the computing power that will help them grow biuuer,
IPGRADES FOR BBC MICRO
l.2(l;S £11.50
Basic 11 £32.00
Disk Interlace Kit £97.00
.4NI)MORE...
ECONET AC( ESSORIES
Eeonetlnleriace £70.00
Clock Box line. PSUl £45.00
Terminator Box line PSC) £35.00
Primer Server roiii £49.00
File Server Level 1 I in stock miw I £99.00
File Server Level 2 1 in stock now] £249.00
THE ACORN BITSTICK(;RAPHICS
SYSTEM £375.00
Instalied on the BBC Microcomputer, whether !'or
general use in business and education or dedicated to
technical gr;iphics. this system provides laeililies
previously available onlv with the most expensive
CGMPUtER-AlDFD DESIGN Systems on the
market.
JLST A FEW OF THE FKATIRES
Crcale a design - modily it anytime. Draw straight
lines, arcs, circles ... colour liil. erase, reposition
again and again, then add text , . All v\ilhi>ul touching
a pencdl
Store the Drawing
When the drawing is complete save itjusias if in a Tiling
eabinel. Retrieve it lor use anytime- next day. ne\tyear
. . . Tlie drawing remains available until erased. Make
prints as you need ilieni. When hard copy is required.
permanently record yourcreations with a printer.
HOWTOOKKIt
Viiun!U> purLlkiM.';i:}_v "\ llii.' acmi liMi'Uhv ehfuiic nuidcpiijublc
iii:T«.ilis!arCoinpuiLTs[.(U. Harclavcardiir.Acces-.. .Ml you have
liidtiislil! inyiiurrequircdicnisini ;isfji;irLiii'shtv!ii| paper, piisl
til us and we « ill dt^spaiuh ^^ ilhin 24 hours. suh]i;ct lo Liviiilabi!it\.
AllpnetsineluMxeLiI Is'i VAT ADnt2 ,snPAf'li>i oidi.Ts
bd.l^^ i l.sii. ()\er add O P&P. Credit Card holders may order
by telephone, (ilve card number, nume. uddress and items
required. Pkast note V,\T is nol eharKetliin export orders.
ICxporl customers please rins for details of P& R
SOLIDISK SIDEWAYS RAM: 8,000 UNITS SOLD
"Exciting" (ACORN USER JAN 84), "Power to your Beeb" (PCN 61, MAY 84)
HOW ABOUT COMPATIBILPTY?
The Sideways RAM is completely compatible with all issues of BBC computers, disks all
sideways ROMs, second processor, Torch disk pack. Teletext, Econet etc. but NOT with
ROM extension boards, since it can replace them.
Its power consumption is so low that you can use it in conjunction with twin disks,
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Occupying the same place as sideways ROMs (such as BASIC, DFS, CRN etc}, it is treated
like other Sideways ROMs and therefore can replace them.
The Machine Operating System uses Sideways RAMs as naturally as Basic, without
procedures or programming rules.
Sideways RAM can run any language, any filing system including Hi-Basic and second
processor DFS.
SIDEWAYS RAM POWER IS IN THE SOFTWARE:
Different from Sideways ROMs, Sideways RAM can be written into. This property qives
SmTUAtSoR^^ROC^sVoR^^^^ '^^ '""^"''"^^ ^'"''^' ^^"^^ ^''
Each SERVICE RAM has its own commands and code as its counterpart Sideways ROM but
has Its own private workspace and storage area thus leaving you with the lowest possible
^^/,^^^^^^'^^^"*'^'-'°*■°"^^^°*^^''^3"^'*^^V''^'Jal'^emoryProcesso^canrunhuge
MACRO BASIC programs (Megabytes are not the limit), keep them on disk and uses the
basic32k of RAM as transient program area. All software for the Sideways RAM system is
FREE SOFTWARE?
Solidisk Sideways RAMs is bundled with lots and lots of software, FREE and we mean FREE
now and later. It is quite simple; for every Sideways RAM sold, £1 is spent on MORE
software Sideways RAM users are invited to spot new applications and contributions are
rewarded at the usual rate of £1 for every 4 bytes of machine code.
The result is printed on the opposite page,
HOW ABOUT THE FUTURE?
SolidiskSideways RAM is also widely used inschoolsfor ECONET stations, by professional
programmers for writing programs, research laboratories for RAM diskdata base, at home
tor wordprocessing and now even games.
New areas are being developed: Telesoft and Teletext logging. Speech Processor
assembler and Relational Data base to cite a few.
As the price of 16k EPROMs are as high as £20 at the present time, more Sideways ROM
A M^!^^A^ publishers will be willing to sell their software on disk. Solidisk will mail FREE OF
ANY COST their advertisement to ALL Sideways RAM users providing the price of the Disk
version reflects savings in the cost of the ROMs. Solidisk believes that the majority of BBC
users will have their Sideways RAM fitted before the end of next year
Also unlike other makes (SIR, APTL. WE Sideways ROM/RAM extension boards and the
Aries B20), Solidisk Sideways RAM is expandable from 16k right to 128k and now to 208K
As a result of VLSI technology and volume of sales, Solidisk products also have a lower
shop price than any other products.
OTHER PRODUCTS FROM SOLIDISK:
UVIPACEPROM ERASER:
Uvipac is powered by the mains, simple to operate and can erase 3 Eproms of any type in
just 15 minutes. Uvipac is ideal for home use.
DETACHABLE KEYBOARD CASE:
?.?iy°u® ''^^ keyboard from the BBC computer and instal it in the new case. Replace the old
3 keyboard tail by the new 24" cable and you can work really in comfort even for very long
hours. The keyboard case is more a productivity tool than just ergonomics.
CPU CASE:
Replace the top of the BBC computer case by this metal CPU case. Sit your monitor on top (it
is louqh enough to take even your weight!). The CPU case has 2 compartments for half
height 5.25 disk drives with fixmg screws, air vents and provision for a bolt-on fan At first
sight, there is no trailing wire. Looking inside, there is enough room to accomodate Teletext
Adapter, Second Processor, Solidisk and a fan!
DOUBLE DENSITY DISK INTERFACE:
2 versions of this double density interface will be available: as direct replacement for the
Acorn Disk Interface (Version A) and as a Second Disk Interface (Version B) adding to your
existing mterface. They all use the same Western Digital controller chip (WD1770}
Price £39.95 inclusive
DISK DRIVES:
3 models are being offered:
STL55A: 40 tracks single sided, SLT55F: 2 x 80 tracks, double sided and the best of mini
floppy technology STL320: 2 x 160 tracks, double sided.
All disk drives are supplied with cables, formatter disk, head cleaning kit and 2 vear
warrantu.
"Break the Ram Barrier" (A&B)
UVIPAC EPROM ERASER
WHICH SIDEWAYS RAM DO YOU NEED?
HOW EASY TO INSTALL:
Solidisk Sideways RAM is available in 16 (SWR 16), equivalent to 1 sideways ROM, 32k
(SWR32), equivalent to 2 sideways ROMs, 128k (Solidisk), equivalent to 8 sideways ROMs
and the 20 6 Solidisk equivalent to 12 Sideways ROMs. You can buy a small Sideways RAM
now and upgrade it later. From the SWR 16 to the SWR32 is by straight exchanqe, from the
SWR32 to the Solidisk is by adding the 96k Solidisk Extension, from 1 28k to 20^ is by
exchange of the RAM card,
FREE SOLIDISK SOFTWARE:
WORD64:
WORD 64 is a Service RAM, it uses Solidisk as storage for WORDWISE, up to 64K free
characters for any text.
SILEXICON:
SILEXICON is a Spelling Checker for Solidisk. SILEX scans texts at more than a 1,000 words
a minute and compared each word against the dictionary, Silexicon marks the mis-spelt
words for either addition to the dictionary or eventual correction.
POINTER BUFFER:
PRINTER BUFFER is a Service RAM, it increases 500 times the normal 32 bytes printer queue
to 15K bytes, completely transparent to the user. PRINTER BUFFER is as useful for printing a
long document as for a short program listing.
STLEOO:
STLOO is a Service RAM, it is Disk Filing System that leaves PAGE at &E00, has built-in disk
formatter/verifier and automatic track stepping for 40/80 track disk drives.
STL 150:
STL150 is a Service RAM to enhance Acorn's .90 DFS to offer up to 1 50 directory entries per
side,
STL-RFS:
STL-RFS (RAM/ROM filing system) is a Service RAM and an innovation in portable
applications. STL RFS saves an^^program in a Sideways ROM format, it can then be copied
onto EPROM to give instant recall of your programs. Plug this EPROM into any sideways
socket, type *RFS and it runs itself. Compatible with the ELECTRON and BBC, tape and
disks, SWR16, SWR32 and Solidisk,
INDEX:
INDEX is a Service RAM, it stores all the entry points of one or several sequential data files
such as mailing list, stock list, accounts etc, merges, sorts them in alphabetical order and
givesinstantaccesstoany record. INDEX can handle 1,1 00 records of any size, any type, any
number of fields.
MACRO-BASIC:
MACRO-BASIC is a program generator. You usea wordprocessorlocreatea command file
which is then scanned by MACRO. MACRO uses other programs, subroutine libraries, text
files (actually any or all files on your disks) as source to generate a bug free BASIC prog ram
which can be very large (Megabytes are not the limit),
VIRTUAL MEMORY PROCESSOR:
VIRTUAL MEMORY PROCESSOR (VMP) uses extensively overlay technique and Solidisk as
backstoreforvery large programs that cannot be run otherwise. VMP uses the 32k basic
RAM as transient area: it operates on a Main Program as generated by MACRO-BASIC,
taking different segments from the Solidisk Store, POOL, HOLD, FREE or CLEAR segments
from the transient area. For example: VMP will accept 20 segments of 10k of Basic
assembler and assembles it into 16k of machine code.
MENU:
MENU puts all computer's resources at your fingertips. MENU displays your Sideways
Firmare, Disk Directories. Sideways RAM system, Solidisk System etc.
MORE FREE SIDEWAYS RAM SOFTWARE TO COME:
While others are making promises for software to be written. Solidisk Systems RAM comes
withacomplete, novel and powerful software package including compatibility with existing
sideways software.
Each Sideways RAM is accompanied by the Sideways RAM User Manual, full 1 year
warranty, 1 utility disc* and free mailing on all new publications from the Software Support
Service.
•Ilshoiildbeiinderstood that we cannot pul as much ffGe software on a 40 track single sided as on aO tracks The present
software package requife 160 (racks of storage and can he accommodated on ONE 2 X 80 track double sided diskette, only
the most useful programsaresuppliedonotherforrnats(ie40lracks(nglesided, 2X40 track double sided, 80 track single
sidedl. Should vou require the whole collection of free software, please place an order for extra disks.
For the technical minded, the Source Code and Technical Manual (3 floppies and a30Q i page book) price = £10, the
SILEXICON EXTENSION PACKAGE (3 floppies and a 40 page mniial, 30,000 word dictionary: English and French now,
German and Spanish planned) price = £9.00. '48' also publishes regular updated SWR utility discs at £3.00
Every user can do contract work lot the SUPPORT SERVICE and make a lot of money for him/herselff
"HOwfoORDER? — — ^ — — — ^ — — ^^— — — -
You can order any item using the coupon. Post and packing is only charged once.
Access and Barclay card holders can place their order by phone.
Educational authorities. Acorn dealers and OEMs can obtain quantity discounts,
Name:
Address:
SEE US AT
iiiL'/ii' I
OflJCK.ll
E.<hibiTiufi
OLYMPIA
16-19 AUGUST
1984
Push m Ihe tiase iJmt
Connect the control wires
PRICE LIST (mdudirig VAT and post & packing)
SIDEWAYS RAM.
SWR16IC .... ... .. f43 65
SWR32K £59.95
128KSOLIDISK £150,95
203K SOLIDISK £243 00
The following ate upgrade prices for existing Sideways Ram owners;
16 - 32 Iplfiflse return complete item) . , _ . _ £18,00
16 -SOLIDISK (please return complete item) El 09,00
32 - SOLIDISK (no return necessary) £93 DO
128K-208K SOLIDISK E93.00
DISK DRIVES'
STL55A (40 track, single sided, cased with cables, diskelle, manual
£142,95
,,.. £232.95
. . . £499,00
and 2 years warranty)
STL55F (2 X 80 track, doubte sided, as above) . . , ,
STL320 (2 X 160 tracks, double sided, as above)
FLOPPY DISKS (DATALIFE Verbaliml:
MD525 (SS.'DD40 or 80 track) box of 10 . ,
MD550 (DS/DD40 or 80 track) box of 10 . ,
MD557 (DSOD 98 TPI) box of 10
CPU CASE ....
DETACHABLE KEYBOARD CASE
EPROM PROGRAMMER (used with Sideways Ram)
UVIPAC EPROM ERASER (freestanding unit)
2764 PACK OF 5 , , , , ,
SOURCE CODE i TECHNICAL MANUAL
SLEXICON EXTENSION PCKAGE
WE STOCK A LARGE RANGE OF PRINTERS AND MONITORS CALL
OUH SALES OFFICE FOR IMMEDIATE QUOTATION
£16.130
£72 00
£27.00
£13.00
£27.99
£16 00
£20 95
£36.00
£10 00
£9.00
sn
Credit Card Account;
Callers are requested to ring first for appointment.
Total: £
If ordering more than one item, deduct £1 per item as post and packing cost is only charged
once.
SOLIDISK TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
17SWEYNEAVE
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA
ESSEX SSZ 6JQ
SOLIDISK'S NEW TELPHONE NUMBER:
SOUTHEND-ON-SEA (0702) 354674
(10 lines with automatic exchange)
BACK ISSUES
I
rBACK ISSUES £1 25
6. January 1983 MEP school launch.
■pX commands for sound. Second BBC
TV series. Machine code 3-two pass
assembly Disc drives for the Beeb.
Programming forum. Program protec-
tion. Micros in schools -new series.
Commodore Pel printer used with
Beeb, BBC programs written on an
Atom, Extra Atom memory,
7. February 1 MHz bus examined, 30
Atom graphics. Atom BBC Board
reviewed. Machine code 4 -memory,
BBC Computer Literacy update Atom
error handling. Micros in schools 2-
getting organised. Hints and Tips.
Beeb Forum, Reviews ol Wordwise
and the Amber printer **'
8. March Chess on the BBC micro,
Sound on the Beeb. Printers for begin-
ners. Atom analogue converter.
Schools 3 -micros and maths
Machine code 5 -indirect addressmg
DIY lightpen, MEP's Microprimer re-
view. Atom Ross toolkit review. Beeb
Forum. Assembly language and Pascal
book reviews. *"
9. April Hexangle game listing. Bach
on the Beeb. Hints & Tips on disc
drives. Machine code 6 -the CALL
statement. Interfacing the 1 MHz bus.
Schools 4 - young children and micros.
Graphics listings. Printers for begin-
ners 2, Reviews lo BCPL, educational
software and Atom software. *"
10. Msy Review of Basic II. Graphics
listings. New 'FX calls in OS1 .2. Colour
mixing on the Beeb. Jazz, blues and
folk on the BBC. Schools 5- language
development. DIY Beeb interface box.
Atom sound board. A lo Z of printing:
how to get going. Hints and Tips:
PROCs, discs and FNs, Printer, soft-
ware and book reviews,
11. June Techniques series-sorting.
Hints and Tips: 50p network. Drawing
techniques and CAD, Machine code:
interrupts. Schools 6- information
technology. Atom Forum, Beeb Forum,
Printers -write your own graphics
dumps. Comparitive review of View
and Wordwise. Three graphics pack-
ages reviewed. Test of Acorn User's
interface box.
12. July Techniques -hash tables.
Hints and Tips: logic made easy.
Recursion and graphics. Handling
strings. Two ideas for passing vari-
ables. Beeb aids the blind. DIY second
keyboard. Beeb Forum. Sounds on the
Atom. Hardware, firmware, software
and book reviews. Atom Forum,
13. August Printer graphics and
dumps. Techniques - Tree structures
and sorting. Ail the fun of the fair. 40/60
disc copier. Colour painting. Basic II:
random access files. Screen dumps for
Olivetti, Centronics and Seikosha.
Atom strings. Reviews of Tandy
CGP115 printer, five educational
packs, A to D converter.
14. September Techniques -ink-blots
and mazes. Painting by lightpen. DFS
space explored. Beeb Forum Mega
Monsters game listing. Machine code
graphics dumps. Atom Forum, Atom
cassette recorder check. Reviews of
Atom RAM boards, Cumana disc
manual, Logo for schools, Hobbit
floppy tape and bool<s,
15. October Women and computing.
Techniques -random numbers. Re-
view of Computer Concepts' Beebcalc.
Fractal graphics. 57 files on 40 & 80
track discs. Vampire game listing.
Beeb Forum. Assembly code controls
tab key. Ostiie merging. Atom future.
Atom verity routine. Reviews of Vu-
Type. Procyon Atom book, Epson FX80,
Teletext adapter, disc drive, software.
16. November Techniques -imposs-
ible problems. Contour graphics. Con-
necting two Beebs together, XREF:
sorts & lists variable, function and pro-
cedure names. Assembler ultililies in
Basic n, OS. VDU. 'FX. OSBYTE calls-
pull-out poster. Disc overlays. Adding
extra Atom commands. Reviews of 7
educational packs, Atom ROM, books,
games
17. December Random graphics. Ani-
mated graphics in colour. Tech-
niques-graphs. Hints & Tips. Univer-
sal printer dump, 6522 connected lo
the Electron. Saving machine code,
Beeb Forum, Graphics pull-out postvr.
Index: July 82-July 83, Forum Extra:
EQUS, BBC helps the disabled.
Schools -data processing. Transfer-
ring data between Beebs, Atoms ... or
Pets. Atom block demolition utility.
Atom disassembler program. Reviews
of software, books, educational pro-
grams from Chalksoft.
18. January 1984: Games special Issue
Techniques- graphs part 2. Stacks and
queues, Basic and languages. Hints &
Tips. Voice chip revealed. How to write
games. Electron interfacing, Beeb
Forum. Life graphics routines.
Defencecom game listing The Train
Game listing. Machine code graphics.
Where to put machine code. Schools-
handling data. Juki daisywheel printer
examined. Atom Forum and adventure.
Reviews of ultilities. software, Beeline
wordprocessor, educational packages,
two chess programs.
19. February: Adventures special Issue
Techniques -efficient sorts. PROC for
a numeric keypad on the Beeb key-
board. 12 graphics listings. Random
access filing on disc. Lockmg files.
MCP40 printer/plotter looked at. Hints
& Tips. Beeb Forum. Make discs read-
able on 40 and 60 track drives. Screen
memory organisation. Hints on adven-
ture design. Adventure action. Adven-
ture ideas in computer language. Text
compression. Word-crunching, VIA
chip on Electron to drive a parallel
printer Atom Forum. Schools -simu-
lation packages. Reviews: Disc Doctor.
Leasal ink's DFS upgrade, Hitachi's
mtcrodrive system, Solidisk's sideway
RAM board, software.
20, March Utility: liming routine. Frac-
tals. Teletext and mode 7 dump. ROMs
reviewed. Hints & Tips. Beeb Forum.
Add sounds to your games. Learn Lisp
1, Cube graphics. Printer driver for
View. Basic II from Basic I. Beeb's ADC
chip. Atom Forum. Listing formatter for
the Atom. Atom 'bytes free' routine.
Schools -test of Facttile. Keyboard
skills Amcom DFS v Acorn DFS. Re-
views: Beebpen wordprocessor, Atom
expansion system, software, books,
21. April Beeb graphics on TV 6845
chip explored. Advanced filing
systems. Lisp 2, Hints 8 Tips. Beeb
Forum, Choose disc tracks to copy.
Function key editing. Teletext dumps.
CES scrutinised. Passing variables.
Computer Concepts' graphics ROM.
Schools - simulations. Calculating
Easter dates. Better programming.
Atom Forum. Atom ROM routines. Con-
verting BBC to Atom Baste. Three
printers compared. Reviews' software,
Aries B20 RAM board. Toolkit. Moni-
tors,
22. May Bitstik graphics system. Hints
& Tips. 6502 second processor exa-
mined. Lisp 3. Beeb Forum. Disc utility
to keep track of available space. Stat-
istics. Pattern graphics. OSWORD
explained. 4 colour graphics listings.
Second-hand disc drives. Education -
do girls get a fair deal? Atom Forum.
BBC to Atom Basic 2 Reviews: British
Micro's Grafpad, Edword wordproces-
sor, 4 sprite generators. Opus micro-
drive, Beasty, software.
23. June Acorn Z80 second processor.
Forth Graphics to brighten up your
games. Soft Pottery graphics. Go faster
and save memory space. Rapid search
and load routine for tapes. How the
Beeb and Electron work 1. Business:
reviews and how to gently enter office
computerisatfon. Education -adult lit-
eracy. Dumping Atom programs on the
BBC. Atom Forum. Software copyright
laws. Hints & Tips. Techniques -B-
Trees. Beeb Forum. Reviews of moni-
tors, printers, books, software, adven-
tures. EPROM programmer.
***Sold-out copies
Four issues of Acorn User are fiot available -July 1982,
February. March and April 1983. Copies of articles are
available at 18p a page (minimum charge 50p, inclusive
of postage). Orders should be addressed to Kate Evans,
Redwood Publishing, 68 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JH.
How to order
Fill in the order form opposite and send with your
cheque or postal order (made payable to Redwood
Publishing) to Acorn User Services, PHS Mailing Ltd,
PO Box 14. Horley, Surrey.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
ACORN USER
Please start my subscription to Acorn User
as indicated:
m
12 months 24 months
UK ei5 D £30 D
Zone A: Europe £25 D £50 D
Zone B: Middle East £30 □ £60
Zone C; The Americas and Africa £30 L I £60 D
Zone D: All other countries E35 D £70 D
Name
I 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 I 1 1
Address
1 i 1 1 1 [ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 > 1 1 1 1
1 i 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ! I 1 1 1 1
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Please answer these q uestions to help us im pip ve
yoyrmagaziiTe.
1 Do you use your micro for?:
1 n school 2D business 3 D hobby
2 Do you have, or intend to buy, any of the following?:
in monitor 2 n disc drive 30 second processor
4 n printer SD modem
3 How many software packages do you think you will
buy in the next 12 months?:
in0-5 2n6to10 SDIOormore
□ I enclose my cheque/postal order/ sterling bank draft
payable to Redwood Publishing for £
D Please debit my Access/American Express/Barclaycard
Account no.
Signed Date
Send this form, with your remittance, in an envelope, to Acorn User
Subscriptions, Redwood Publishing, 68 Long Acre, London WC2E9JH.
25
Sco
ACORN USER
SERVICES
SPECIAL OFFERS ON SWEAT SHIRTS
QUANTITY DESCRIPTION
Binders
PRICE
RP01
nP02L
RP02M
RPOZS
@ £4.75 £
Sweat shirts (large) @£5,00 £
Sweatshirts (medium) @£5.00 £
Sweat shirts (small) @£5.00 £
BACK DATED ISSUES @ £1.25 per copy
MONTH YEAR
£.,„
AU
AU
AU
issue
issue
issue
£.
£.
Total £.
Please add CI. 00 each for overseas items.
Please allow 28 days for delivery.
Name
Address .
D I enclose my cheque/PO payable to Redwood
Publishing for £
D Please debit my Access/Barclaycard
Account no. L
Signed Date.
Send this form, with your remittance, in an envelope,
to Acorn User Services, PHS Mailing Ltd, PO Box 14,
Horley. Surrey. All the above prices include postage
and packing.
S(o
ACORN USER
DI SC EXCHANGE SERVICE
Send in your copy of Trek or Sword Master
with a cheque for £3.50 and we will
exchange it for a disc. (Which runs on
40 or 80 tracks).
Tape(s) in exchange for disc
@£3.50 each
SOFTWARE
14E\W
MONTHLY PROGRAM LISTING
CASSETTES
Please send me a cassette of all major
BBC Micro and Electrons program listings
(September issue) as advertised on page 96
@£3.75£
NEVN
Total £
Please send me:
Copies of Sword
Master for BBC
(32k series 1.0 OS)
for Electron
Copies of Trek
for BBC
(32k series 1.0 OS)
for Electron
Tape
Disc
£7.95 £10.95 £
£7.95
£7.95
£7.95
£10.95
Name
Address.
D I enclose my cheque/PO payable to Redwood
Publishing for £
n Please debit my Access/Barclaycard
Account no.
24 HOUR PHONE SERVICE (02934) 72208
Please add £1 .00 eacfi for overseas items.
Please allow 28 days for delivery.
Signed Date
Send this torm, with your remittance, in an envelope, to Acorn User Software,
PHS Mailing Ltd, PO Box 14, Horley, Surrey, All the above prices include
postage and packing.
|E3
ACORN USER
SOFTWARE
FOR THE BBC MICRO AND ELECTRON
ON DISC AND CASSETTE
Two quality, full colour games to test your skill,
nerve and cunning.
Each £7.95 per cassette or £10.95 per disc (40/80 track).
Price includes VAT and postage.
Both games need 0S1 .0, or later, and 32k.
Developed, produced and tested by Micrograf,
SWORD MASTER is one of the few
two-player games around, and is
designed for joystick or keyboard.
Sword Master by Ken Worrall is
based on the fencing rules written in
1190 by Herman von Salza for the
Deutscritter Order of Teutonic
Knights. It features fuli-colour ma-
chine code animation of a sword
duel between the players shown on
screen as knights.
Full instructions, music, sound
effects, player rankings (from Green-
horn to Swordmaster) and a roll of
honour (which can be saved) are ail
included. The game also closely
reflects the rules, style and dress of
the Deutscritter Order,
TREK was the first game to take
advantage of voice synthesis on
the BBC micro - and uses joystick
or keyboard.
Trek puts you in charge of a
Starship with the task of wiping out
an alien fleet. It's an excellent adap-
tation of the classic game with 7
screen displays, 3 on-board com-
puters and 2 weapon systems.
Versions have been written for
BBC micro and Electron to use both
machines to their full. The BBC tape
uses voice synthesis (if the chips are
fitted).
The game has been extensively
developed from Tim Heaton's
famous Trek III. It barely fits into 32k.
DISC UPGRADE SERVICE
Return your cassette of Trek or Swordmaster, and we will exchange it
for a disc (wfiicfi will run on 40 or 80-track drives) for just £3.50. Please
specify Amcom, Watford or Acorn DFS.
PkUS
ARTICLE LISTINGS
ON CASSETTE
Yes, at last, the tape you've been
crying out for! Save the wear on your
fingers by sending for one of our
cassettes giving all the major listings
in this issue.
Each cassette costs £3.75 (Inclusive)
for the Electron and BBC micro. This
includes a menu and disc transfer
routine to help you find your way
around - and use on your own
programs.
The tapes come with BBC programs
on one side and Electron programs
as the other, so it shouldn't be
possible to mix the two.
Order form on page 95.
Save yourself
the time and
bother of typing
in Acorn User
listings
ORDER
FORM
ON PAGE 95
I
HARDWARE
See 'High-Speed Random Numbers', page 106
* Program 1. Subroutine used )n Mi-Bas)cfor
. producing a 32- bit pseudo-random number
270
EOR 8(11 •
« 10
P7.=?<C00
280
STX ?<10 #
20
COPT 2
290
LDX &0D ^
• 30
300
STX 8(0E
• 40
. newRND
310
STA 8(0D •
50
LDY
#4
320
PLA •
60
330
STA &11 ^
• 70
. nex
t_byte
340
DEY
• B0
ROR
«<11
350
BNE nGxt_byte •
9 90
LDA
S<10
360
RTS •
100
PHA
370
: -
• 110
ROR
A
380
• 120
STA
Sell
390
Y7.= 1 •
9 130
LDA
&0F
400
REPEAT %
140
TAX
410
CALL next_byte ^
• 150
ASL
A
420
PRINT ?&0D
• 160
ASL
A
430
UNTIL •
^ 170
ASL
A
440
END #
180
ASL
A
450
• 190
STA
&10
460
REM or for 4 bytes-
• 200
LDA
&0E
470
REM don't need Y7. •
210
STA
&0F
480
220
LSR
A
490
REPEAT
• 230
LSR
A
500
CALL newRND *
• 240
LSR
A
510
PRINT !?<0D •
250
LSR
A
520
UNTIL
260
ORA
S<10
530
END
* Program 2. Control software for ttie two hardware RNGs,
^ plus tests to check their randomness
IB PRDCinitial
lee
340
INPUT "How
many sets o+ values", A7. 9
20 M0DE4
350
Qy. = AV.
30 REPEAT
360
FOR MV. = TO 255 • |
40 PROCmenu
370
NV. C M"/. )
=
A 50 UNTIL end
3B0
NEXT
•
60 CALL int_aff
390
REPEAT
70 END
400
CALL RNDhistogram • |
80
410
max "/. =
3 : miny. = feFFFF : totX =
^ 90 DEF PROCmenu
420
FOR M7.
= TO 255 •
100 REM *»♦»#»»*
430
N7. <M7.) = N7. tMy.)+?(By.+MX)+?(C7.+>-!'/.)«256 ^ |
^ 110 CLS
440
tot 7.
= tot7.+N7. (M7.) •
120 PRINT"Analoaue or
digital?
( / 1 ) "
^ 130 INPUT '■(□r
-1 to
end. ) " die
ital
450
IF N7. (n7.) >maxy. ma^:/. = N7.(n7.t ^
* 140 IF digital-'
THEN
end = 1 :
ENDPRDC
460
IF N7.<M7.)<trin7. min7. = N7.<M7.) *
^ 150 digital = -
di gi ta
1
470
NEXT
•
160 analogue =
NDT di
gi tal
4B0
CLS
^ 170 PRDCassembl
e_test
s
490
PRlNT"maj< ";maxV.j" min ";minX; ^ |
* 180 lNPUT"Histc
gram or map'' (0
ar 1 ) " , map
500
PRINT"
ave •■; tot7./256; " ";
^ 190 IF analoguE
INPUT
"Delay" ,
del ayX
510
R7. = (max7.-min7,) /tot7.*1280000 ^ |
^ 2H0 IF analogue
''del a
ytime = de
1 ay-/.
520
PRINT"
range +/- " ; R7./100; "7. ";
— 21B IF digital
CALL initial i se_
digital
530
FOR M7.
= TO 255 A
* 220 IF analogue
CALL
initialise
_anal ogue
540
PL0T69 , M7.»4 , N7. ( M7. ) «3. 8/Q7. |
_ 230 IF map PRQCdrawmap ELSE PROChi stogram
550
NEXT
*
• 240 ENDPRQC
560
Q7. = Q7.+A7.
^ 258
570
UNTIL INKEY(0) '-0 A
• 260 DEF PRQCdr
awmap
5B0
ENDPRDC
270 REM «»»»»*»»»•»
590
A
• 280 CLB
600
DEF PROCerr_handle
_ 290 CALL RNDmap
610
REM ************** #
• 300 ENDPRDC
620
CALL int
D-ff
^ 310
630
REPORT
•
• 320 DEF PRQChi
stogram
640
PRINT" at
"ERL
^ 330 REM «*••*#**♦«»»*
•
Continued ► •
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
HARDWARE
I
See 'High-Speed Random Numbers', page 106
• •< Continued
1430
RTS
1440
# b^Z
ENDPROG
1450
.de
aytime
660
1460
NOP
\ Save one byte a4 space. ^
# 670
DEF PRDCinitial
ise
1470
680
REM *••»•••*•*«♦*•
• 690
DIM B7.
256. C7.
256, N7.C255)
1480
. anaRND
700
DN ERROR PROCer
r handle ; END
1490
\»-**-it**
# 710
DldlRB
= '5.204
AND ErFFFF
1500
LDA
#4
720
end =
1510
. ready
• 77-e
1520
BIT
E<FE6D
\ Has new value
740
REM Assemble RN6 routines
1530
BEG
ready
\ shi f ted in yet?
# 750
REM ♦»•••••«»***»♦♦■»»***»
1540
760
FOR opt7. = TO 2 STEP 2
1550
LDA
&FE6A
\ Read shi -f t regi ster .
# 770
py. =
?rca0
1560
RTS
7S0
COPT
opt 7.
1570
3
9 790
800
. initial ise
_digi tal
15B0
NEXT
• 810
\ *»*««■!•■«»««
1590
tests7. = py.
1600
ENDPRPn
820
LDA
*S<88 \
Shi-ft in under system clock
1610
• 830
STA
&FE6B \
and Timer i one— shot on PB7
- 840
1620
1630
DEF PRuuassemDl e_tests
REM ****************** A
850
LDA
tt&Bl \ Set PBO + PB7 as cutouts.
^
860
STA
&FE62
1640
rndGEN = ana
^ND
870
1650
IF digital rndGEN = digRND •[
B80
LDA
#1B
1660
FDR opt7. =
TO 2 STEP 2
1670
py. =
= tf>St'=.
/. •
890
• 900
STA
LDA
8tFE64 \ Set delay time on Timer 1,
ttO
16B0
1690
1700
COPT opt 7.
910
920
STA
S<FE65
. RNDmap
1710
\******
930
• 940
^ 950
LDA
8tFE6A \
Dummy read o-f SR,
1720
LDA
#25
SEI
1730
1740
JSR
SiFFEE
\ PLOT,
960
LDA
«IRO MOD 256 \ Interrupts
1750
LDA
#69
A ^^7^
BTA
R-204
\ Are now
1760
JSR
8.FFEE
\ a single dot, •
980
LDA
ttlRQ DIV 256 \ active.
1770
17B0
1790
990
1000
# 1010
STA
CLI
RTS
6t205
JSR
JSR
rndGEN
feFFEE
\ at , X 1 ow , •
1020
ISOO
• 1030
. IRQ
1810
JSR
rndGEN
\ X high, ^
_ 1040
\»*«
1820
AND
*3
1830
JSR
&FFEE
* 1050
LDA
«1
\ Invert PBO line.
1840
^ 1060
EDR
&FE60
1850
JSR
rndGEN
\ Y low, #
1070
STA
S'FE60
1860
JSR
&FFEE
1080
J MP
old IRQ
\ Back to IRO routines.
1870
1090
1B80
JSR
rndGEN
\ y high.
9 1 100
.digRND
1890
AND
#3
1110
\»*»»»»
1900
JSR
8.FFEE
• 1 120
BIT
?<FE6D
1910
1 130
BVC
digRND \
Timer 1 not timed out yet.
1920
LDA
tt?.81
\ Has a key ^
" 11 40
1930
LDX
ttO
\ been pressed?
— 1 150
-digRNDnotWAIT \ Start here i -f > 20 uS
1940
LDY
ttO
• 1160
LDX
#0
\ since 1 ast access.
1950
JSR
E(FFF4
^ 1170
STX
£fFE65 \
Start timer 1.
1960
BC5
RNDmap
1 180
\
= switch to CB2 clock.
1970
RTS
1 190
LDA
&FE6A \
Read shi+t regi ster .
1980
1200
RTS
1990
.RNDhistog
■-am
• 1210
2000
\ -»«*»• »♦*«*»* 9 1
1220
-int
_oii
2010
LDA
#0
• 1230
\«w»**«#
2020
TAX
1240
SEI
2030
. Hipe
• 1250
LDA
#QldIRQ
MOD 256
2040
STA
B7. , X
\ Wr 1 te zeros i nto
^ 1260
STA
S.204
\ Restore original
2050
STA
C7. , X
\ resul ts tab! e. A
1270
LDA
#DldIRQ
DIV 256
2060
INX
12B0
STA
S'.205
\ value of IRQIV.
2070
BNE
wi pe
1290
CLI
20B0
9 1300
RTS
2090
. sampl e
1310
2100
JSR
rndGEN
\ Get a random
• 1320
. 1 ni
ti al 1 se
_analogue
2110
TAX
\ number in X regi ster . •
1330
\ «»*««««*«*»*«««»**«
2120
INC
B7. , X
\ Increment the counter. _
• 1340
LDA
#S<04
\ shi-ft in under control
2130
BNE
sampl e
— 1350
STA
5!FE6B
\ o-f Timer 2.
2140
INC
CV. , X
S Increment the next byte.^
• 1360
2150
LDA
?^404
\ A7. = number of sets.
1370
LDA
delayti me
2160
CMP
CX , X
\ Enough yef
1380
STA
s,FE68
\ Set up value
2170
BNE
sampl e
\ If not, get another.
1390
LDA
#0
\ o-f Timer 2.
2180
RTS
1400
STA
?.FE69
2190
]
• 1410
2200
NEXT
1420
LDA
?<FE6A
\ Dummy read of SR.
2210
ENDPRDC
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
FIRST BYTE
See pages 33 and 35
Tessie Revfvis' 'Fly In the Sky' program demonstrates use of elementary animation and sound
>PLEASE LIST THE PROGRAM
10 REM «»• (c) Acorn User
20 dead_+lag=l
30 MODE O
40 VDU 23,1,0;05 0;0;
50 REPEAT
Sept. 84 «*«
step=l
start=0 : finish=79
PROCf 1 y
IF dead_flag=0 THEN END
start=79: finish=0 : 5tep=-l
PRDCf 1 y
IF dead_flag=0 THEN END
UNTIL
t%% procedures here »»»
60
70
80
90
100
no
120
130
140
150 s
160 DEF PROCf ly
170 FOR po5=start TO -finish STEP step
IBO PRINTTAB(pos,3) ; "«";
190 S0UND0,-15,2, 1
200 key*=INKEY*(0>
210 IF kev«=" ■' THEN PROCdie <pos)
220 FOR delay=0 TO 50 i NEXT
230 PRINTTAB(pos,3) ; " ";
240 IF dead_flag=l NEXT
250 ENDPROC
260 :
270 :
280 DEF PROCdie (pes)
290 P=pos:pos=f inish:NEXT ^
300 dead_flag=0 ^(T
310 «FX21,4
320 PRINTTAB<P,3);" ";
330 FOR dDwn=3 TO 32
340 S0UND0,-15,3,1
350 PRINT TAB(P, down) ; •■*■';
360 FDR delay=0 TO 50 i NEXT
370 PRINT TAB(P,down) ; " " ;
380 NEXT
390 «FX21,4
400 SDUNDO,-15,6, 10
410 ENDPROC
The procedures behind Michael Why's 'Paranoids', explained step by step in his article
10 REM *»***«»#»**»»**»»***»»»*«»*»*-i»
20 REH »♦* PARAS by Michael Why ***
30 REM *»* (c) Acorn User Sept. 84 »**
40 REM **»*«**♦»*»»»**♦♦»*«»••*•*•***
50 DIM PARAYy.(30) ,PARAX"/.(30) ,X7.(30) ,Y
7.(30) , PARA* (30)
60 PROCINIT
70 MDDE2
BO MaDE4:yDU23;a202;0;0j0i
90 REPEAT
100 REPEAT
110 PROCTANK
120 PROCTANK
130 PROCPARAS
140 PROCTANK
150 UNTIL HlTy.+ l=FARA7. OR LIFE7.= 1
160 PROCLEVEL
170 UNTIL L1VEB7.=3
180 MODE6
190 END
200 :
310 DEFPROCINIT
220 Z-0:PARA7.=4jHIT7.=0;LAND7.-0:BC0RE7.=
0:LIFE7.=0:HVES7.=0:LEVELy.= l
230 VDU23,224, 155, 155, 195,60,24,24,36,
1 95 , 23 , 225 , 60 , 1 26 , 255 , 255 , 1 29 , 66 , 36 ,
240 FDRL7.= 1T0PARA7,: PARA* (L7.> =CHR*225+C
HR*10+CHR*8+CHR*224:NEXT
250 VDU23,226, 1 , 1 , 7, 63 , 127, 161 , 1 15,33,
23,227, 128,128,224,252,254,133,206,132
260 VDU23,228,231 ,36,60,66, 153, 153,66,
36 , 23 , 229 , 36 , 66 , 153 , 1 53 , 66 , 60 , 36 , 23 1
270 SPACE*=CHR*32+CHR*10+CHR*8+CHR*32
280 ef: p I ode*=CHR*228+CHR* 1 0+CHR*B+CHR*
229
290 tanl'*=CHR*226+CHR*227
300 VDU23,1 ,0;0;0;0;
310 F0RL7.= 1 T0FARA7.: X7. ( L7.) =RND ( 3 ) -2i Y7. (
L7.) = 1-.NEXT
320 T7.=20
330 FIREy.=0sF0RL7.= lTDPARA7.:PARAX7. (L7.) =
RND(27) +5:PARAY7.(Ly.)=2sNEXT
340 IFPARAX7. (L7.) =PARAX7. (L7.-i ) THENPARAX
7,(Ly.)=PARAX7.(L7.)-l
350 ENDPROC
360 :
370 DEFPROCTANK
380 I F I NKEY ( -85 ) THENREPEATUNT I L I NKEY ( -
67)
390 IFSCaRE7.<0THENSC0RE7.=0
4O0 PRINTTAB<B,1); "
410 PRlNTTAE>t2,l) ; ■'SCnRE=" ; SCDRE7.; TAB (
14,1) ! "LIVES L0ST="!LIVES7.;TAB(29,ll ; "LE
VEL="; LEVEL7.
420 PRINTTAB(T7.,29j ; "
430 »FX15, 1
440 lFINKEY(-67) ANDTy.<:=35
THENT"/;=Ty.+ l: Z =1
450 IFINKEY (-981 ANDTV..^=5
THENT7.= T7.-1:Z= 1
460 PRINTTAB( r7.,29) ; tank*
470 IFZ=OTHENENDPROC
z=o
ENDPROC
480
490
500
510
520
530
540
550
560
570
DEFPRDCPARAS
VDU20
VDU19, 1 ,3,0,0,0
L7.= l
IFPARA* <L7.> =SPACE*THEN63
COLOUR 1
1 FPARAY7. ( L7. ) .- =27THENPR 1 NTTAB ( PARAX
7.(L/:) ,PARAY"/.(L7.) ) : SPACE*: PARAY/l {L7.) =2: PA
RAX7. (L7.>=PARAX7. (L7.) : LAND7.=LAND7.+ 1 : SC0RE7.
=SC0RE7.- 1 00: IFLAND7. '.- = 1 THENPRDCNEW^L I FE
580 IFPARAX7. (LV.) >=35THENPRINTTAB tPARAX
7.(Ly.) ,PARAY7.(Ly.) ) ; SPACE*: PARAX7. (LX) =3
590 IFPARAX7.(Ly.) <=2THENPR INTTAB (PARAXX
(L7.) ,PARAYy.(L7.> J ; SPACE*: PARAX7. (LX) =35
600 PRINTTAB(PARAXy. (LX) ,PARAYy. (LX) ) ; SP
ACE*
610 PARAXy.(Ly.)=PARAX7.(L7.)+X7.(Ly.) : PARAY
7.(Ly.) =PARAYy. (L7.) +Y7. (LX)
620 PRINTTAB(PARAXy.(Ly.) ,PARAY7. (L%) > ; FA
RA*(L7.)
630 PROCFIRE
640 I FLy.< >PARAy.THENL7.=L7.+ 1
650 IFL7.^ >PARAy.THENGDT0550ELSEG0T0660
Continued ►
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
FIRST BYTE
I
See pages 37 and 45
<ta]
< Continued
660 ENDPROC
670 :
6B0 DtrpROCFIRE
690 FIREXy.=T7.
700 IFfJDTlNKEY (-99) THENENDPROC
710 ENVEL0PE2, 1,-12,-6,-3,3,6,12,126,0
,0,-126, 126,126
720 SOUND?. 11, 2, 200, 4
730 tank_ba5eV.=32*Ty.+32
740 MaVEtank_ba5e"/.,90
750 DRftWtank_base7.,32»<31 )
760 PL0T7,tank__base'/.,90
770 FIRE7.=0
780 IFPARftXV. CL-/.) =FIREXXDRPARAX"/. (Ly.> -1 =
FIREXy.THENPROCXPLODE
790 ENDPROC
aoo !
810 DEFPROCXPLODE
320 SCORE7.=5CORE7.+50
830 PRINTTftBCPftRAX7. (L7.) , PARAY7. (L7.n ; SP
ACE*
840 ENVEL0PE2, 2,-12,0,-3,3,6, 12,126,0,
0,-126,126,126
850 SDUND.^a 1 ,2,255, 12
360 PRINTTAB<PARAX7.(L7.) , PARAY7. (LX) ) ; ex
plod e*
870 riME=0!REPEATUNTILTIME>25
BBO FRINTTAB<PARAX7. <L7.) , PARAY7. tL7.) ) ; SP
ACE*
890 PARA*(L7.)=SPACE*
90u PARAX7. <Ly.) =3iPARAY7.(L7.) =2: X7. (L7.) =0
: Y7. ( L7. ) =0! HI T7.=H I T7.+1
910 ENDPROC
920 :
930 DEFPROCLEVEL
940 1FLIVES7.=3THENPR0CGAME_L0ST
950 LEVEL7.=LEVEL7.+ 1
960 I FLAND7.=OTHENSCDRE7.=SCORE7.+50
970 PARA7.=PARA7,+ 1
980 F0RL7.= 1TQPARA7.:PARAX7. (L7.)=RND<27) +
5: PARftY7. (L7.) =2: X7. (L7.) =RND (3) -2: Y7. (L7.) =1 :
NEXT
990 HIT7.=0
1000 F0RL7.= 1TDPARA7.: PARA* (L7.) =CHR*225+C
HR*10+CHR*a+CHR*224:NEXT
1010 ENDPROC
1020 :
1030 DEFPROCNEW_LIFE
1040 LIFE7.=LIFE7.+ 1
1050 LIVES7.=LIVES7.+LIFE7.
1 060 I FL IFE7.= 1 THENPROCTANK_LOST
1 070 I FL I VES7.=3THENPR0CGAME_LDST
lOBO LAND7.=0
1090 LIFE7.=0
1 1 00 ENDPROC
1110 -.
1120 DEFPROCTANK_LOST
1130 LAND7.=0:A7.=0
1 1 40 CLS
1150 FR1NTTAB{14,15) J "LIFE LOST" : SOUNDl
,-15,150,5
1160 TIME=0!REPEATUNT1LTIME=100
1170 CLS
I ISO IFLIVES7.=3THENPR0CGAME_L0ST
1 190 ENDPROC
1 200 :
1210 DEFPROCGAME^LOST
1220 IFSCaRE7.'..OTHENSCDRE7.=0
1230 PRINTTAB<14,8) ; "YOUR SCORE= "; SCORE
7.
1240 PRINTTAB<4, 12) ; "PRESS SPACE TO STA
RT OR E TO END"
1250 REPEAT
1260 IFINKEYi;-99)THENRUN
1270 IFINKEY(-35) THENCLS;END
1 280 UNT IL 1 NKEY i -99 ) OR I NKEV ( -35)
1290 ENDPROC
1300 :
1 510 DEFPROCDELAY:TIME=0:REPEATUNTILTIM
E=17: ENDPROC
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
HINTS &TIPS
See pages 48, 50 and 52
Listing 1.
10 REM Listing 1
213 REM Run this program be-fore using function keys
30 ♦KEV0
L*="L. "+STR*L7.+ ", "+STR*(L'/.+9)+CHR*12+CHR*:13:A7.= 13a:X7.=0:FOR Z"/.= l
TO
LEN L*: Y'/.=ASC(MID*(L*,Z7.) ) :CA.5.FFF4:N. :Ly.=Ly.+ 10: !M
40 ♦KEYl IN. "List -f rom" , L7. 1 L : M
Listing 2.
10 REM Listing 2
20 A*=""
30 FOR N"/.= l TO 10
40 REPEAT: B*=STR$(RND( 10) -1)
50 UNTIL INSTR(A*,B$)=0
60 A*=A*-t-B:$+" "
70 NEXT N"/.
B0 PRINT A*
Listing 4
Listing 3
10
REM Listing 4
20
TIME =
30
FOR T=l TO 100
40
A*=""
50
FOR N7.= l TO 10
60
REPEAT: B*=STRi-- (RND (IB)
-1)
70
UNTIL INSTR(A*
B*)=0
80
A*=Aif+E*+" "
90
NEXT H7.
100
PRINT A*
110
NEXT T
123
PRINT "Time = '
;TIME/100; " |
cent i seconds"
10
REM Listing 3
20
M0DE7
30
DIM X(10)
40
A=l
50
REPEAT
60
T=RND(10) :Q=1
70
IFX(Q)==T THEN 60
80
Q=Q+1
90
IF Q<10 THEN 70
100
X(A)=T: A=A+1
110
UNTIL A>10
120
FOR P=l TD 10
130
PRINT X(P)
140
NEXT
Listing 5
10 REM Listing 5
20 A«=""
30 FOR N7.= l TO 13
40 REPEAT: B*=STR*(RND (13) )
50 IF B*="10" THEN B*="J"
60 IF B*="ll" THEN B*="Q"
70 IF B*="12" THEN B*="K"
80 UNTIL INSTR(A»,B*+" " ) =0
90 A*=A*+B*+" "
100 NEXT N7.
110 PRINT A*
Listing 6
10
REM Listing 6
20
A$=''"
30
DIM suit*<4)
40
sui t$ ( 1 ) ="H" : sui t* <2) ="C"
50
suit*(3)="D":suit*(4)="S"
60
FOR N7-=l TO 52
70
REPEAT
80
C$=suit*(RND<4> )
90
B$=STR*(RND( 13) )
100
IF B*="ll" THEN B*="J"
110
IF B*="12" THEN B*="Q"
120
IF B:*="13" THEN B$="K"
130
B*=C*+"-"+B*
140
UNTIL INSTR<A-f ,B-*+'= " ) =0
150
A$=A*+B*+" "
160
NEXT H7.
170
PRINT A*
Listing
7
10
REM List
ing 7
20
A=3.2
30
B=6.4
40
C=9.6
50
IF A+B=C
PRINT"CDrrect"
60
PRINT" I '
ve -finished"
Listing 8
10
REM Listing B
20
A=3
30
B=6.4
40
C=9.4
50
IF A+B=C PRINT"CDrrect"
60
PRINT"I've -finished"
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
HINTS &TIPS
I
See pages 48, 50 and 52
itai
Listing 9
Listing 10
10 REM Listing 18
23 @X=?'20200
10 REM Listing 9
30 amount "1=0
20 ft=3
40 PRINT'-Press to end"
30 B=6.4
5a REPEAT
40 C=9.4
iS0 INPL)T"Afriount in pounds and pen
ce
50 IF A+B=C PRINT"Correct"
£" amount
60 PRINT "ft = ";A
70 a.TiDunt /:=amDunt'/.+afi>Dunt*100
70 PRINT "B = ";B
30 UNTIL amount^a
80 PRINT "C = ";C
90 INPUf'Enter total C'total
100 tDtal/>tDtal*100
110 IF amaunf/.=totaiy. PRINT
"Fi qures agree"
120 PRINT-C"amountv,/1B0"
.£"tDtal/:/100
Listing 11
•
Listing 12 •
10 REM Listing 11
20 @-/.=0
30 tot=0
40 PRINT"Press to end"
Ifl RFM i^istinq 32
50 REPEAT
20 *h;Evi0 old;m *tape:h ri_!n:m
60 INPUT" Amount in pounds and pence
30 ON ERROR GOTO 60
£!" amount
40 *0PT2, I
70 tot=tot+amount
50 PRINT "Tapp system"
80 UNTIL amDunt=0
60 IF ERL=40 THEN PRINT "Disc Ey
stem"
90 INPUT"Enter total C'total
"'0 ON ERROR OPr
100 IF ABS(tot-total><0.a01 PRINT
"Fi gares agree"
110 PRINT"£:"tot" £"total
•
Listing 13
Listing 15
10 REM Listing 13
10 REM Listing 15
20 VDU2, 1,32,1 ,32,3
20 REM Fast circle drawing
30 IF ADVAL(-4)=63 THEN PRINT"PRINTER
30 REM Electron i . 595ec , BBC 0.
49sec
CONNECTED"
40 MODEl
50 PROCsetup
60 TIME=0
70 PRQCcircie
.isting 14
S0 PRINT TIME/100,- "sec"
90 END
10 REM Listing 14
100 :
20 REM Fast circle drawing
110 DEFPROCsetup
30 REM Electron 3.99sec, BBC 1 . 2a5ec
120 VDU29,64a;512;
40 TIME-0
130 R7.=400
50 MDDEl
140 DIM cos(60) ,sin (60?
60 VDU29,640;512;
150 FOR A7.= l TO 60
70 R-/.=400
160 cos(A7.)=COS(A7.*PI/30)
80 c=C0S(PI/30) !S=SIN(PI/30)
170 5in(A;-)=SIN(A7.*PI/30)
90 oc=l:os=0
1B0 NEXT
100 MOVE R7.*oc,R7.»os
190 ENDPROC
110 FOR A'/.= l TO 60
200 :
120 nc=oc»c-os»s
210 DEFPROCcircle
130 ns=os»c+oc«5
220 MOVE Ry. ,0
140 DRAW R7.»nc:»R-/.»ns
230 FOR Ay.= l TO 60
150 oc=nc: os=n5
160 NEXT
240 DRAW R7.*cos(A7.) ,R7.*sir (Ay.)
170 PRINTTIME/100; "sec"
250 NEXT
260 ENDPROC
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
GRAPHICS
KALEIDOSCOPE
REMEMBER those cardboard tubes containing
coloured chips which reflected in a mirror system to
produce random but regular patterns? No, nor do
we. But they were popular Victorian toys and
enjoyed a revival some years ago. Now Christopher
Johnston puts the same effects onto the screen with
this Kaleidoscope program. Kaleidoscope provides
up to 16 different rotating swirls of colour for BBC
Model B and Electron owners.
KALEIDOSCOPE
by C. Johnston
<c) Acorn User
10 REM »**
20 REM •»»
30 REM ***
40 M0DE6
50 PRGCinit
60 MODE 2
70 PROCpattern
SO REPEAT
90 K7.= INKEY(0>
100 IF Ky.>0 THEN PROCkey
UO IF D7.>5 THEN PRDC+orward ELSE PROC
reverse
120 UNTIL FALSE
130 DEFFROCinit
140 DIM C7. (15) ^07. (10)
150 FOR D7.=0 TO 10
1 60 D7. ( D7. > = 1 00- ( D7.-5 > * ( 07.-5 ) *4
170 NEXT
180 N7.=-l
190 REPEAT
200 N7.=N7.+ 1
210 READ F*
220 UNTIL Ft=""
230 REPEAT
240 PRINT-WHICH PATTERN' (1-";N7.;") ";
250 INPUT F7.
260 UNTIL FX.>=1 AND F7.<=N7.
270 RESTORE
280 FOR L7.= l TO F7.
290 READ Ft
300 NEXT
310 DATA (£iE6 DIV
-Y7.-100) )
320 DATA 5E7 DIV
7.-Y7.-300) )
330 DATA 5E4 DIV
340 DATA
350 DATA
( (X7.-604) •(Y7.-60) » ( X7.
( (X7.-204)*(V7.-300)*(X
( (VV.-60)»(y7.-X7.+204) )
1.2E5 DIV ( (Y7.+1>»(Y7.-X7.-1) )
1E6 DIV ( (Y7.+ 1)*(V7.-X7--1) )
3&0 DATA 1E5 DIV ( (X7.-404) * ( V7.-150) )
370 DATA 3E8 DIV ( ( X7.+500) * ( Y7,+50O) )
380 DATA 100*(Y7.+8) DIV (X7.+8)
390 DATA 1000«(y7.+8) DIV (X7.+a)
400 DATA 1200»(X7.+350) DIV (Yy.+500)
410 DATA X7.*(V7.+ 1) DIV 40
420 DATA X7.»(Y7.+ l) DIV 80
430 DATA X7.»(Y7.+ n DIV 200
440 DATA X7.»(Y7.+S) DIV 1000
450 DATA CX7.*X7.+Y7.»Y7.) DIV 1000
460 DATA (Xy.»X7.*X7.+Yy.*Y7.*Y7.) DIV 1E5
470 DATA ""
480 *FX9,50
490 *FX10,50
500 D7.= 10
510 ENDPROC
520 DEFPRDCpattern
530 VDU23,1,0;0;0;0;
540 VDU29,640;512;
550 FOR Y7.=0 TO 512 STEP 8
560 FOR R7.= l TO 3
570 VDU19,RNDC15> ,RND AND 15;0;
580 NEXT
After entering the program run it and input a
number from 1 to 16 as requested. The kaleidoscope
base will generate before your very eyes by plotting
eight squares of the same colour symmetrically
about the mode 2 screen. The screen takes about
three minutes to fill before its contents begin to
rotate and flash in an ever-changing pattern.
The < and > keys can be used to speed up the
direction of rotation either left or right and pressing
the space bar freezes the display for closer inspec-
tion. The RETURN key allows you to set all colours to
blacit if the program dazzles you with its brilliance!
590
600
610
620
630
640
650
660
670
680
690
700
710
720
730
740
D7.=D
750
D7.=D7.
760
770
780
790
800
aio
820
830
B40
850
860
870
880
890
900
910
920
930
940
950
960
970
980
990
1 000
1010
1020
1030
1040
1050
1060
107O
1080
1 090
1 1 00
1110
1 1 20
1130
1140
1150
1 1 60
1170
FOR X/;=Y7. TO 640 STEP 8
GCOLO,EVAL(F*) AND 15
FOR h7.=-1 TO 1 STEP 2
FOR B7.=-l TO I STEP 2
PL0T69,X7.*A7.,Y7.*B7.
PL0T65,0,4
PLaT69,Y7.*BX,X7.»A7.
PLDT65,0,4
NEXT
NEXT
NEXT
NEXT
ENDPROC
DEFPROCkey
REPEAT
IF (K7.=46 OR K7.=62) AND D7.:10 THEN
y.+i
IF
-1
IF K7.=
(K'7.=44 OR K7.=60) AND D7.>0 THEN
THEN D7.=5
IF K7.= 13 THEN PROCblack
K7.= INKEY(0)
UNTIL D7.-->5
*FX15, 1
ENDPROC
DEFPRDC+orward
P7.=FNrnd(0J
FOR L>:=0 TO 15
FDR W7.= l TO D7. (D7,)
NEXT
VDU19,L7.,P7.;0!t
C7.=C7. (L7.)
C7. CL7.)=P7.
P7.=C7.
NEXT
ENDPROC
DEFPROCreverse
P7.=FNrnd (15)
FOR L7.= 15 TO STEP-1
FDR W7.-1 TO D7.(D7.)
NEXT
VDU19,L7.,P7.;0;
CX=C7. (L7.)
C7. (L7.)=P7.
PX=C7.
NEXT
ENDPROC
DEFFNrnd(C7.)
R7.= (RND AND 3)*tRND AND 1)
IF R*/:=3 THEN Ry.=4
=C7. (CX) EDR Ry.
DEFPRDCblack
FOR Ly.=0 TO 15
FOR W7.= l TO 200
NEXT
VDU19,L7.,0;0;
C7. {L7.)=0
NEXT
FDR Wy.= l TD 2000
NEXT
ENDPROC
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
GRAPHICS
I
See 'Spritely Characters ', pages 74-79
l ipgni
Harry Sinclair's sprite generator program, 'Design'.
Turn to page x for instructions on entering it and
converting for the Electron
1 REM •«««*««**«*#*«««««««*«#**»«**
2 REM *** (c) ftcorn User Sept. 1994
3 REM •»• DESISN by Harry Sinclair
4 REM »»*»»«»*•#»»»»«»«■»»»»*•«•»»•»
5 REM »» IMPORTANT: Set PftBE=S(1900
6 REM *•»••••»*»•**•»•»•»«»»••••»••
10 *KEY10?&224=8(A6 ! MPA. =M90O ! MOLD ! M
20 •TV255
30 GNERROR PROCwind_up: END
40 MODE?
50 FDR I V.=0t6 1 ! PR I NTT AB < 7 , 3+ 1 X > CHR* 1 29
+CHR* 1 57+CHR* 1 4 1 +CHR* 1 35 " SPR I TE DES I BN " +
CHR*9+CHR*9+CHR*9-*-CHR*15(b!NEXT
60 PR1NTTAB(0,7)" You may design char
acters with a width o-f between 8 and 20
pixels - only even numbers are allowed"
''"Please enter width :"
70 REPEATPRINTTAB(20,n)SPC(26);:lNPU
TTAB(20,11)" "W7.:UNTlLW-/.>7fiNDW/.<21 AND N
0TW7.M0D2
80 W-/.=W7./2: IFW7.=4 RESTDREllO ELSEIFWX
=5 RESTQRE120 ELSE REST0RE130
90 F0RI7.=«<12F0 T0S.12FF STEP 2:READA*:
! I7.=EVAL("&"-t-A*) :NEXT
100 ?S<i2EF=WX«8
110 DATA1300, 1360, 1300, 1400, 1460, 1500,
1460,1560
120 DATA1300, 1378, 1300, 1400, 1478, 1500,
1478,1578
130 DATA 1300,1400, 1300, ISOO, 1600, 1700,
1600,1800
140 cha7.=0:table7.=fcl2F0:endX=FALSE
150 »FX4,1
160 MDDE2!VDU23,1,0;0;0;0;
1 70 VDU23 , 240 ,0,0, 8<F0 , StFO , 8,F0 , &F0 ,0,0,
23 , 24 1 , , , 5(40 , !*E0 , &t40 ,0,0,0
180 FQRIX=0TaS(5FF 5TEP4: IX ! !<1300=0: NEX
T
190 PftOCassemble
200 key*="01234567a9ABCDEF"
210 REPEAT
220 IX=chaX*2!baaeX=IX7&t2F0+I7.?M2Fl»
256 +a
230 spacBX=(80-?&12EF DIV8*7)DIV8
240 CLSs IF chaX<>0:?!<71=spaiieX:F0RIX=0
TO chaX-l:?8,70=I7.!?8<72=16!CALL display:?
?<71=?&71+WX/2+5paceX:NEXT
250 VDU2B, 0,22, 7,9,4
260 VDU30:CDL0UR7!PRINT"KEYS"
270 eX=0:PRINTTAE(0,2) "0";TAB(2) J "8"; :
COLOURS: PRINTCHRr240: FOR I7.= 1T07:C0LQURIX
J PR I NT I X ; CHR*240 ; "^ I X+8 ; : COLOUR I X+B : PR I NT
CHR*240:C0L0URIX-1:NEXT
280 VDU28,0,31,19,21
290 C0L0UR6!PRINTTAB(2,0) "Press TAB wh
en" ' ' ; TAB<2) "design f i nished" : C0L0UR3
300 PRlNT-TAB<l)"Use cursor keys to"'"
" position pointer"
310 WX=?&12EF/4:VDU29,440-a»(WX-9)-8)4
OOj :M0VE0,0
320 PL0T21,0,12«32+6:PL0T29,WX»32+8,12
*32+6: PL0T2 1 , WX»32+a , O: PLaT29 ,0,0
330 GC0L0,7
340 XX=8:YX=24
350 PROCpntr (XX,YX)
360 REPEAT
370 K7.= INSTR(key*,GET*)
380 IF KXOO col7.=K7.-l:PR0Cdraw(cDlX,X
X,YX) :PROCpntr IXX,YX>
390 IF1NKEY(-5B) ANDYX<384 PROCpntr(XX,
YX) !Y7.=Y7.+ 16:PR0Cpntr (XX,YX>
400 IFINKEY(-42)ANDYX>24 PROCpntr < XX, Y
X) : VX=YX- 16: PROCpntr (XX, YX>
410 IFINKEY<-26)ANDXX>8 PROCpntr C XX, VX
) : XX=XX-32; PROCpntr CXX,YX>
420 IFINKEY(-122)ANDXX<32*<W7.-1) PROCp
ntr <XX,Y7.) : XX=XX+32: PROCpntr (XX, YX)
430 UNTILINKEY(-97)
440 chaX=chaX+l: lFchaX=2 chaX=3 ELSE I
FchaX=6 cha7.=7
450 yDU4,12,23,l,0;0i0;0;
460 IF chaX=8 PRINTTAB (2,0) "8 chars, d
e-fined. ";TAB(4,2) "Nd more room. "; TAB (2,7
) ; :C0L0UR3:PRINT"SPACE to continue" : endX
=TRUE:ELSE PRINTTAB ( 7 , 2) "press" j TAB ( I , 4)
; :CDL0UR3: PRINT" SPACE to continue" ; TAB (
2,6) ; :C0L0UR6:PRINT" CTRL Z to exit "
470 REPEATG=GET:UNT1LG=8<20 ORG=MA! IFG
=S(1A end7.=TRUE
4BO UNTIL endX
490 »FX4
500 MODE 7
510 @7.=4
520 PRINTTAB (0,2) " Data goes -from'-CHR*
134"S.1300"CHR*135"to"CHR*l34; "8<";'^baseX+
3»?M2EF:PRINT- ' ; CHR*131 ; chaX; CHR*135; "c
haracters de-f ined"CHR*131 ; " (0 to ";chaX-
1)">."
530 PRINT''" Table o-f addresses is &" ;
CHR* 130; '■S<12FO";CHRil35; " to" ; CHR* 130; "!<"
;'^?<12F0+cha7.»2~l
540 PRINT' ■" Do you want to save the d
ata and the address table (Y/N)?";:R
EPEATG=GET DR5.20J UNTILG=S<79 OR G=5<6E
550 IFG=5<79 PRQCsave
560 PRINT'TAB(14) "Bye Bye"
570 END
575 :
580 DEFPROCpntr (XX,YX)
590 VDU5
6O0 MOVEX7.,YX
610 GCDL3,7
620 PRINTCHR*241
630 ENDPROC
640 DEFPROCdraw(colX,XX,YX)
650 VDU5
660 MOVEXX,YX
670 ?8<88={X7.-6)DIV32:?&89=23-( (YX-24)D
1V16) ;?5(e7=CDlX: address? l=ba5e7.M0D256 sad
dress?2=base7.DIV256:store?3=baseXMDD256:
store?4=baseXDIV256
680 !S(70=!<4F7B+(?M2EF»2>
690 GC0L0,colX
700 PRINTCHR»240
710 CALL byte_number
720 ENDPROC
725 :
730 DEFPROCwind_up
740 *FX4
750 VDU4:C0LDUR7
760 PRINT-ERROR ";ERR;" e LINE ";ERL;:
REPORT I PR I NT
770 ENDPROC
775 :
780 DEFPROCsave
790 PRINT'" What do you want to call
the file?'- ■CHR*136;" (max. 7 letters - no
quotes needed)"
800 REPEAT:PRINTTAB(14,16)SPC(20) : INPU
TTAB(14,16) " "data*:UNTILLENdata*<=7
810 FDRIX=&3000 TD8.3030: ?I7.=0: NEXT
" 820 DX=5(3000
830 * ( DX+&20 > =dat a« : ?DX=(,20 1 D7.? 1 =8<30
840 DX?2=S<EE:D7.?3=8.12
850 DX?S<A=?<EE:D7.?8<B=S<12
860 'a7.-'%>.E= (baseX+ ( 3»?8< 1 2EF ) + 1 ) M0D256
870 DX?&F=(baseX+(3*?&12EF)+l)DIV256
880 AX=0:X7.=0:YX=S<30
890 PRINT" Press RETURN when you're re
ady . "
Continued ►
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
GRAPHICS
See 'Spritely Characters', pages 74-79
9^1:3 REPEftTUNTILBET=13
910 CALL&FFDD
920 PRINT" Data saved
as "data^
730 ENDPRDC
935 :
940 DEFPROCassemble
950 F0RI7.=OTa2 STEP2
960 P7.=8illOO
965 REM Square bracket
printed as le-f t
arrow in Mode?
970 COPT 1 7.
980 .byte_number
990 LDA&a9
1000 ftNDtt?
1010 STA8(8F
1020 LDft5<a9
1030 AND«&F8
1040 LSRA:LSRA!LSRA
1050 TAY
1060 LDX«0
1070 DEY
1080 BMI nD_add
1090 LDA&12EF
1100 I NX
1110 DEY
1120 BMI nD_add
1130 INX
1 140 CLC
1150 ADCStl2EF
1160 .no_add
1170 CLC
1180 ADCScBF
1 1 90 STA5<aF
1200 LDA«(8a
1210 ANDttSiFE
1220 ASLA
1230 ASLA
1240 CLC
1250 ADCS<aF
1260 STA8<8F
1270 STA&BD
1280 JSR pixad
1290 . byte value
1300 LUX&SF
1310 ■ address
1313 \ dummy address
1320 LDA &aOOO,X
1330 STfiS-B6
1340 LDAttO
1350 STA&B5
1360 LDY#4
1370 CLC
1380 LDA&ea
1390 LSRA
1400 BCC even
1410 CLC
1420 .odd
1430 R0R8(86
1440 ROR&a?
1450 RaR8.B5
1460 RDR&86
1470 ROR8(85
1480 DEY
1490 BNE odd
1500 JMP store
1510 .even
1520 RDR8(86
1530 R0R8<B5
1540 R0R&86
1550 R0R^87
1560 R0R8<BS
1570 DEY
1580 BNE even
1590 .store
1600
LDA&aS
1605
\ dummy addres
1610
STA s^aooo , X
1620
LDAttO
1630
STA8<a6
1640
STAS<87
1650
LDY&8D
1660
LDA8(B5
1670
STA(&70) ,Y
1680
RTS
1690
. pixad
1700
DEX
1710
BMI end
1720
LDA&70
1730
CLC
1740
ADCtt&BO
1750
STA&70
1760
LDA8.71
1770
ADCtt2
1780
STA8.71
1790
LDA&8D
1800
SEC
laio
SBC8tl2EF
1820
STAScaD
1830
JMP pixad
1840
.end
1850
RTS
1860
.display
1870
LDA#0
1880
STAX<B1
1890
LDA#&30
1900
STA&(83
1910
LDAfc71
1920
ASLA
1930
RDLS<a 1
1940
ASLA
1950
RQLS<81
1960
ASLA
1970
RDL&Sl
19B0
STAS(a2
1990
LDA&81
2000
CLC
2010
ADCS(83
2020
STA&B3
2030
LDA&72
2040
AND#7
2050
E0RS<72
2060
LSRA
2070
STA&ai
2080
LSRA
2090
LSRA
2100
ADCS^ai
2110
LSRA
2120
STA&Bl
2130
LDA#0
2140
RDRA
2150
CLC
2160
ADC&:B2
2170
STASfBO
2180
LDA&Bl
2190
ADCfc83
2200
STA&B 1
2210
LDA#S(BO
2220
CLC
2230
ADC&80
2240
STA?<a2
2250
LDA*2
2260
ADC5(B1
2270
STA&83
2280
LDA#S(BO
2290
CLC
2300
ADC&82
2310 STA&a4
2320 LDA*2
2330 ADC&83
2340 STA8<85
2350 LDAtt&aO
2360 CLC
2370 ADCS<B4
2380 STA8<86
2390 LDA#2
2400 ADC?(85
2410 STA&a7
2420 LDAS(70
2430 ASLA
2440 TAY
2450 LDAS<12F0,Y
2460 CLC
2470 ADCttS
2480 LDXttO
2490 STA&aSjX
2500 CLC
2510 .loDp2
2520 ADC5(12EF
2530 INX
2540 INX
2550 CPX«a
2560 BCS over
2570 STA&88,X
2580 BCC ioop2
2590 . over
2600 CLC
2610 INY
2620 LDA&:12F0,Y
2630 LDX#0
2640 .loop3
2650 STA&a9,X
2660 INX
2670 INX
2680 CPX#B
2690 BCC loop3
2700 LDYe<12EF
2705 \ draws character
2710 . mai nloop
2720 TYA
2730 BED out
2740 DEY
2750 LDA<S.8a) ,Y
2760 BEQ block2
2770 STA(S<a0) ,Y
2780 .blDCk2
2790 LDA(?<8A) ,Y
2800 BEQ block 3
2810 STA(S<a2) ,Y
2B20 .black3
2830 LDA(5(8C) ,Y
2840 BEQ loopend
2350 STA (4(84) »Y
2860 . 1 Dopend
2870 JMP mainloop
2880 . out
2890 RTS
2900 ]
2910 NEXT
2920 ENDPRDC
Instuctions ►
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
GRAPHICS
I
See 'Sprite!/ Characters ', pages 74~Z9
iHl
RUNNING DESIGN
THE 'Design' listing is one of the longest programs we've
presented in Acorn User. To enable you to enter the pro-
gram from the keyboard we have devised tests that we
hope will reduce the number of typing errors you make in
entering it, so that you can get it running with the minimum
of effort.
The program can be broken down Into two sections,
Basic and assembly language. If you have never pro-
grammed in assembler before don't worry -a knowledge
of its workings is not necessary for just typing it in exactly
as you see it. But before starting ensure that PAGE has
been set to &1900, whether you have tape or disc. To do
this type:
PAGE = &1900 < return >
NEW < return >
From a debugging point of view you will find it a lot easier
to enter the assembler listing first. This comprises lines
940 to 2920 inclusive. Long assembler listings tend to
repeat themselves so it is easy to enter the wrong com-
mands. To avoid this, use a small rule, preferably not
transparent, to mark the line you are currently entering
and move it down line by line. It saves time if you program
the function keys with the most frequently used com-
mands. Just write each key's pre-programmed command
on a strip of paper and place it under the plastic strip above
the function keys. We suggest this combination:
•KEYOLDA
•KEY1 STA
'KEY2 INX
'KEY3DEV
'KEY4CLC
*KEY5R0R
'KEY6 ROL
*KEY7 ADC
•KEY8LSR
*KEY9 LDX
To facilitate entry of the assembler listing type:
AUTO 940 < RETURN >
and enter each line as prompted. This will prompt you with
line numbers that increase In steps of 10. However, four of
the program lines contain REM statements on odd line
numbers. These are: 965, 1315, 1605, and 2705. They
should be omitted when you first enter the program. If you
want, enter them last of all, typing in each line number and
the REM separately. The lines are not vital to the pro-
gram's operation so may be left out. When the assembler
listing is safely keyed in hit the Escape key and then re-
enter line 950 as follows:
950 FOR 1 % = TO 3 STEP 3
and add the following two lines to the program:
1 PROCassemble
2 END
Now RUN the program. If any errors in syntax are present
a suitable error message will be generated informing you
of the number of the tine containing the error, which can
then be checked against the listing and edited. This check
ensures that a syntactically correct assembler listing Is
present. Assembler being what it is though, problems
could occur if. say. you typed in TAY instead of TYA. These
mnemonics use the same letters but work in opposite
directions. To ensure against such an error add the follow-
ing lines to the assembler program:
1 PROCassemble
2Z% =
3F0RN% = 41100 TO &123B
42%-Z% + ?N%
5 NEXT
6 PRINT "CHECKSUM IS :";Z%
7 END
Next run the program. After a short delay the result
CHECKSUM IS: 36468
should be produced. These few lines have added together
all of the machine code bytes. If your checksum result is
different check through your assembler program again.
Once you are sure your assembler listing is correct
delete lines 1 to 7 inclusive and re-enter line 950 as it
appears in the listing:
950 FOR 1 % - TO 2 STEP 2
Now enter the rest of the Basic program as normal. An ON
ERROR trap has been incorporated into this main part so
that detailed error messages will be displayed if any occur
at run time. When debugging it is worth producing the stan-
dard Acorn Usertormal listing to screen or printer to help
you. To do this first type:
WIDTH 40
and then list in the usual way. If you've entered the listing
exactly as published it should be a simple matter to whizz
down it comparing yours line for line.
Finally, if all this looks like loo much work there's the
Acorn t/sercassette of all the major programs in this issue.
A full facility sprite designer - not to mention all the other
useful routines elsewhere in the mag -has to be great
value at only £3.95!
CONVERTING FOR
THE ELECTRON
'DESIGN' can be run successfully on the Electron if a few
alterations are made to the listings. Only one actually
needs to be made to ensure the running of the program.
The other changes are purely cosmetic.
The important change is in line 430. This command tests
whether the TAB key has been pressed. Now Elkies will
know that their machine does not have a TAB key so we
need to specify a key to replace the TAB key. We suggest
the DELETE key. To do this re-enter line 430 to read;
430 UNTIL INKEY(- 90)
Alternatively, the COPY key could be specified, using the
following:
430 UNTIL INKEY(- 106)
Whichever you choose, you might also like to adjust the
program prompt in line 290 to DELETE or COPY in place of
TAB. If the DELETE key is being used, line 290 should read:
290COLOUR6;PRINTTAB(2,0)"PressDELETEwhen" '
followed by the remainder of the line. Be sure to change
the TAB inside the quotes and not the print formatting one
before it.
The other changes generally involve the use of the
Beeb's teletext screen to produce double-height charac-
ters. An example is given in line 50 to print SPRITE DESIGN
in large teletext letters. The whole of this line could be re-
placed by a single line:
50 PRINT TAB{7,3) "SPRITE DESIGN"
on the Electron.
Any other adjustments you care to perform can be done
after first running through the program and noting where
the changes are that you wish to make.
Finally, line 10 is rather Beeb-specific, as it relates to the
Econet system. If this is entered and BREAK hit the Elk will
print a lot of gobbledegook and hang up. To avoid this
retype line 10 as follows:
10 'KEY 10 PA. = &1900IMOLDIM
Happy designing!
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
EDUCATION
See 'Problems? No Problem!', page65
•
Program 1 . One way of solving the currency conversion
problem. Four countries are involved V
1
10 REM Bur»ou dt chong*
28 REM PO»Sibl» solution
36 REM only showing i, countries
46
36 REPEAT
60 PROCinput
70 PROCproe«««
86 PROCoutPut
96 PROCaPOC*
106 UNTIL FALSE
lie
120 OEF PROCinput
130 CL5
140 INPUT ''yiich country- 'cauntry*
150 INPUT' "Englun Pounds to change? "pdE
148 ENDPROC
170
180 DEFPROCautput
190 PRINT ■•■■ ipds^ ■ in ■ ; countryt i ' , '
280 PRINT' "OiveE • -.
210 IFcfiflngsdcash =0 PRINTcurrencyj ELSE PRINT. chongedcosh;' ": currency*
220 ENDPROC
23B
240 DEF PROCSPOce
250 PRINT ■-■ 'Press SPACE to -ontinue, •
260 «f:i21 ■ e
270 REPEAT UNTIL £ET=32
280 ENDPROC
290
360 DEF PROCProcess
319 currency J= 'on unknown onswer ■, changed : osh=g
323 IF eountryt = 'AUSTRIA' chongedcosh = pds » 36:ciJrrency» = "Schillings'
338 IF country* = 'BELGIUM' chongedcosh = pds » 7B . 5 ^ currency* = "Frnncs*
340 IF country* = "CANADA* chongedcnsh = pds • 2.75:currency* = -Dollcirs-
356 IF country* = 'DENMARK' chongedcnsh = Pds * 14.'5:Currency» = 'Kroner'
366
370 REMetc
380
390 ENDPROC
'.00
Program 2. How you might keep track of cash transactions #
in a shop
le
29
REMtiBbtr thot return by itseir 280 ENDPROC
30
REM cortcludeB the totalling 290
<^e
300 DEF PROCmpLJ tcnsf.
50
REPEAT 310 REPEAT
60
PROCinPUtondodd 320 INPUT "Cash pai a "cash
70
PROCtotol 330 UNTIL cnsh;=tot;M
60
PROCinputCosh 340 ENDPROC
?B
PROCcalculQtechonge 350
100
PROCShowchonge 360 DEF PROCcolcul ntechonge
110
PROCSPOCe 370 chQnge=cnsh- to tol
120
UNTIL FALSE 380 ENDPROC
130
390
1^9
156
400 DEF PROCshowchnnge
160
170
totol"6rZX"aX:«)X = S20209 420PRINT"G>'''e ■■:chonge:' chiinge"
180
REPEAT 440 a%»ZX
190
INPUT'Item cost ''cost* 459 ENDPROC
2S0
IF cost»<>'' total-totol+yAL tco5t»> <,60
210
UNTIL cost»="' .,70 DEF PROCspc.ce
220
ENDPROC 480 PRINT ■'' "press SPACE far ne-<t cu^tomsr-
2'3e
-■90 "FX21.3
2^8
230
DEF PROCtDtal 500 REPEAT UNTIL GET=32
26S
PRINT'Totol ";tOt^-il 520
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
EDUCATION
I
See 'Problems 7 No Problem! ', page 65
ilm
• •
Program 3. Keeping the right time on a 12'hour clock
le
REM CLOCK ARITHMETIC
238
PRINT ■'■ •Pi"e55 SPACE to continue'
20
240
*FX21 ■
30
REPEfiT
250
REPEAT UNTIL GET=32
i,Q
PROCj."Put
260
ENDPROC
50
PR0CProc»S3
270
69
PROCoutPUt
280
DEF PROCPi'ocess
70
PROCspact
290
newmms = nowminsfpassmms
80
UNTIL FALSE
390
corryhour = newmms D lU 63
90
310
newmins=newmins MOD 60
100
DEPPROCiriput
320
newhour = new hour + passhours +
U0
CL5
car r y h u r
1C0
INPUT''Enter present time. vJust Hours)"^
■ nowhour
338
3'»0
newhour=newhour nOD 12
IF newhour=@ newhour=i2
130
INPUT' "Ents'" present time. (Just Mirisj'^
* nowmins
350
360
ENDPROC
I'.B
INPUT' ''HOW many rours will pass?
' pcisshoy r a
370
REM An olternotive proccessing
procedure: -
150
INPUT' "HOW many minutes will pass?
"pnsemins
380
398
DEF PROConotherproceaS
160
ENDPROC
400
newhour = I'l^nowmins + pcissmmsiDiy 6B> ♦
170
nowhour + pL-vsshours"' MOD 12
180
DEF PROCOutpu t
410
IF newhour=0 newhour=ij
190
PRINT '■'T'^e new time will be";riewhoijr.'
- ":newmins
420
430
newmins= (nowminsi-pnssmins) MOD 60
ENDPROC
200
ENDPRC-C
440
210
220
DEF PROCEC'flce
Program 4. A routine to calculate hours worked by staff
from clocking on/clocking off records
10
REM CLOCKING ON.
260
DEF PROCoutPUt
20
270
PRINT ''"Time worned todn/:-
;j
30
REPEOT
": hours i " hours, °;min5:" min'a'
«>e
PROCi npu t
283
ENDPROC
1
50
PR0CP''oces3
290
6Z
PROCoutPut
300
DEF PROCspace
70
PROQspacm
310
PRINT' ''"Press SPACE tc continue"
89
UNTIL FALSE
320
* F / 2 1 ,
50
330
REPEAT UNTIL GET=32
ISQ
DEFPROCi riput
34
ENDPROC
U0
CLS
350
120
REPEAT
343
DEF PROCProcess
130
REPEAT
370
onhour = onhour-tionmins''60'
l'*Q
INPUT' "Enter the clocking on time
kjust Hours)"' "onhour
380
390
orFhour =offhnjr- +('orfrriirrS 60'
mormngsin-onhour
150
UNTIL onhour>=7 fiND onhour {=12
400
'afternoon soffhour
160
INPUT' 'Enter the clocking on time
■■JdSt Mins)" 'onrnms
410
420
hoursworned = morning + aF ternoon
hourE=INT ' hourgwor«ed;
170
UNTIL orihour + onmins/i0)=7.5
430
mins = INT' 'hour^worked--. ours.**.i0i
lee
REPEAT
<r^0
ENDPROC
190
REPEAT
'.50
200
INPUT' '"Enter the :locsing off time
jijit Haurg)? "orrhour
460
470
DEF PPOC^notherp'-oces?
hour« = INT i (12-(O'T^ouf+*'5f^''ii'^5.-60; ,1 ■}
219
UNTIL Offhour< = 6 AND 0fr'hour:g
♦ (oFfhour +(offmin5/6e),i ■
226
INPUT' 'Enter the clocking off time
'..Just Mins>'> "offmins
488
(nins.= lNT ' < 12- lonhour* lonfnms '60) ) +
1 of F hour + (offmins/60> ■ -hours) «60>
230
UNTIL offhciur^-or'i'mirig.'ig f=6
490
ENDPROC
240
ENDPROC
500
250
•
•
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
N| I lannnnnnn
I
BEEB FORUM
More on Forth, more on multiple
D copies on Wordwise, a green View
mode, amazing screen dumping . . .
D all hand-picked by Bruce Smith
A to D in Forth
THIS MONTH G P Quinney of Wembley
takes over the Forth banner from
Richard Clarke (Beeb Forum, July) by
providing a short machine code routine
to read the analogue to digital con-
verters, although the screen that he
provided could readily be changed to
perform other OSBYTE calls. The rou-
tine (listing 1), does not use the Forth
assembler, but this has advantages, as
Mr Quinney points out- . .
The advantages of hand assembling
this routine is that it may be loaded
directly without first loading the
assembler.
First the definition for CODE:
CODE CREATE HERE -2
ALLOT , ;
Next, my own routine to replace Basic's
ADVAL function.
HEX
CODE ADVAL
{ CREATE
86 C,
0B5 C,
OAA C,
OAO C,
0A7 C,
20 C,
SA C,
0A6 C,
9;
68 C,
o c,
OFF C,
BO C,
0FFF4 ,
£>a C,
C,
STA COMP
1 C,
( STY CDMP
4C C,
6A +0RIG1N ,
DECIMAL
(
94 C,
ICTIONARY ENTRY )
( STX XSAVE 1
t LDA LOWBYTE >
( TAX i
( LDY ttSiPF )
( LDA tt&eO )
t JSR OSBYTE )
( TXA )
( LDX XSAVE )
. STACK LOW )
. STACK HIGH )
( JhP )
( NEXT )
Listing 1. How to read the analogue to digi-
tal converters in Forth, by G P Quinney
Pseudo-variables
evaluated
GEOFF SMITH (no relation) of Worces-
ter Park earns himself a portrait of the
Duke of Wellington for pointing out that
pseudo-variables such as TIME, PAGE
and HIMEM can be EVALuated in Basic
I provided they are parenthesised, eg;
T$="(TIME)"
PRINT EVAL(T$}
Wordwise copies
in one keystroke
F G JONES of Rossendale has res-
ponded to July's tip on multiple copies
on IVordw/seby sending in the method
he uses. He says . . .
I have found those 'awfully nice
people' at Computer Concepts have
provided the necessary mechanism,
without ever having to get involved in
anything as low level as Basic.
Section 4 of the Wordwise manual
explains how to program the function
keys to produce key strings, which then
simulate the pressing of keys in the
given order. For example, if we start in
the command menu with the document
loaded, we need to:
1. Press Escape (into document)
2. Shift/cursor up (cursor to start of
document)
3. Marker (mark start of text)
4. Shift/cursor down (cursor to end
of document)
5. Marker(markendoftext)
6. Copy marked text (function key 9)
7. Press Escape (back to menu)
8. Press6(printtext)
9. Press Return
This copies the document and then
prints it. If we put the appropriate key
string into one of the function keys we
can do all the above with one keystroke
from the Wordwise menu.
So from the menu type:
»key:
) I [6IM
and then Key 2 used from the menu with
CNTL/SHIFT will print two copies of the
document in memory,
I can almost hear readers screaming
that it is easier to do all that from the
keyboard and 1 agree. The clever thing
is not to type it in every time you use the
Beeb but to use *BUILD to write an
EXEC file to disc. Then it can be taken
straight off disc whenever it is wanted.
Taking the steps above, if we wanted
three copies then we would proceed to
step 6 and then repeat steps 4 and 6
once more, before going on to step 7.
For every extra copy required, repeat 4
and 6at this point.
The obvious procedure would be to
write a 'BUILD file with Key 2 giving iwo
copies. Key 3 three copies, and so on.
See listing 2, for example.
•KEY2 : t '.! 10! !»!! !N: !»!?)! C6!M
•KEY3 !C1!!G:!«!!IN:!#!!)
: ! :n! ! ) 1 C6:n
•KEY4 !C;!!0!'»i!iN!l#ilJ
! ! IN! ! ) ! MN! ! ) ! C6!M
•KEY5 ;C!!!0!!»1!!N;!*!!)
! ! :N! '. J I ! :N! ! > ! ! IN! ! ) !t£i!H
Listing 2. Wordwise key codes, from F G
Jones
Perhaps the EXEC file could be
called Copier[\).
The only limitation I have found is the
amount of available memory, but few of
us ever take advantage of the full 24k-
plus usable with Wordwise. Frequently,
users leave the memory half empty to
ensure a mode display using option 7
from the menu. With a copying system
as reliable as this, you don't need to
use this preview option.
Green characters
on the screen
TO KEEP View users in check James
Miller of Cambridge has sent in the
basis of a IBOOT file, which sets the
Beeb up with a green View mode,
doubles the autorepeat speed, rede-
fines the Break key and does the initial
NEW.
page 99 >■
t^
Beeb Foruni i$ a platform (or ideas, tips and appjications relating to the BBC micro and the
Efectron, intended for experienced programmers to share their thoughts. For every reader's
tip published we pay £5 -or more for something special. Contributions should be typed or
printed, with substantial listings on cassette. WRITE TO Beeb Forum. Acorn User, Redwood
Publishing, London WC2E 9JH.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
A GSL COMPUTING PUBLICATION
See Us on Stand 14
TheSnd
Official
Acorn User
OLVMPIA
16-19 AUGUST
19Rd
GSL Winchester Hard Disk System for tlie BBC Micro
NOW INGIUDING REMOWBLE CARTRIDGE DRIVES
GSL staff are working overtime to
meet the still increasing demand for
their Winchester Systems.
Price £
5 MB Winchester System - 1650.00
10 MB Winchester System - 1950.W)
20 MB Winchester Svstem - 2600.00
30 MB Winchester System -2900.00
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65 MB Winchester System - 4700.00
105 MB Winchester Svstem - 5130.00
140 MB Winchester System - 7000.00
As leading suppliers of
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the BBC micro, GSL has
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Since the introduction of the first
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from 5 to 116 MByte, tape
streamers, a comprehensive
Winchester Filing System (WFS)
and a flexible networking system.
A new addition to this product list
is a removable cartridge drive. Ttiis is
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cartridges themselves are less than 4.5"
square, and contain 5 MBytes of
information. The units are front loading,
cartridge replacement being performed in
a matter of seconds. Cartridge drives may
be used in their own right for stand alone
systems, or can be integrated into a
system with a large, fixed hard disk for
back-up purposes, providing an
economical alternative to a tape streamer.
All Winchester systems are fully cased,
and self contained, the only connection
required, apart from mains, is to the I MHz
bus connector of the BBC micro. The WFS or
network (E-Net) firmware is supplied on
The New Streamlined Winchester
System.
Winchester Disc Drives are put
through a 24 hour intensive test
programme prior to despatch to
customers around the world.
Eprom. Fully rack mounted systems may also
be provided, and other facilities available
include a real time clock, and a link board for
connecting two micros to one Winchester
system.
New Winchester Backup Facilities
Backup of the t-Nci nie^iCtMr Winchtsiir has u|) lu nuu bci-n limllcd lo itki:tlvc IransCer <•(
Uicr areas lu Doppv dhk. In urder Lu aiigmenl Ihis. [he following fscililics are now (or «hor[|)
will bcl available.
(a) Backup uS user allribules iii (1(ipp> disk. I Avuilahle on applicallon)
|b) Full backup nf Ihc nie^avtr drive lo a second (similar) WiTlehe^lcr unit iTIii* slumld be
available ullbin few weekil
(cl lull backup 10 removable carlridge drivei. A[ present only 5 MKylu units have been
evaluated, ncccstiluting the Hit of Ivto cartridges for backup of a lO MB>le Winchcsler.
(Eipecied atailablliti is I to 2 monlhs)
Id) Kull backup lo tape sireamer (20 or 45 MByles). lEipecied availabiliiv is I months).
Existing single Winchester ssstcms can be upgraded lo contain backup uniis for any of options
(bl. Ic| and Id), additional hardware being accommodated within the current casing, At prei^enl
the most cost eHeclive solution for pure b.iekup purposes is likely lo be option (b). with Id) the
most costly, though in the (atlcr cave some improvement is hoped for before the end of the
iL-ar. Prices are available on appliciilion.
We are an official A Acorn Dealer and Service Centre
Return to GSL COMPUTING . West Portway Industrial Estate.
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I am interested in the tollowing,
Iplease tick)
The GSL Winchester System
5 Me
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20 up to 200 MB
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n
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GEOPHYSiiiiii^iiiiillliiPW
liiiiiiiililiiiiijiiHii^
I
BEEB FORUM
■< page 9?
MrMillerexplains.. .
The advantage of setting the screen
to green characters is that only one gun
of the monitor is on, which gives a very
crisp display, as well as being quite
restful.
Method: create two files (using
VIEW), called $ . !BOOT and S . IB00T2
as in listing 3.
Notes:
^ . To use, do a SHIFT/BREAK.
2. It is assumed that the computer
initialises to modes.
3. 'TV255, 1 moves the display down
one line so that the first line is visible,
and stops flicker by turning off the
interlace. MODE 3 does the obvious,
and actions the *TV command.
4. 'FXISS.nnn perform the mode 3
equivalent of VDU19, 1 , 2, 0. 0, 0. VDU
instructions will not work from within
View.
5. Normally, Break would reset the
computer to 'standard', so redefining
the key allows easy recovery of
colour, auto repeat, the vital OLD. as
well as a useful "FX125 (escape) into
text mode,
... Mr Miller would like to know how to
redefine the cursor colour. Can anyone
help?
«l $. leOOT BBC=WP
*WORD
*TV255, 1
MODE 3
*KEY10 «EXEC $. 1B00T2;M
NEW
*; $. !B0OT2 set grn,
auto rpt spd,
OLD, escape
*FX155,130
*FX155,146
i^FX 155. 162
«FX155a78
«FX155, 194
*FX155,210
«FX155,226
*FX155,242
*FX12,4
OLD
*FX125
Listing 3. James Miller's basis ot a !BOOT
file for setting up a green screen with View
Mode dumps in under five minutes
SOME excellent mode screen dumps
have been sent in by Bernard Beeston
of Enfield. What is so surprising is that
they were produced using a single line
of program (listing 4) and it will work on
an Epson, Star and Shinwa CP80
printer.
InMrBeeston'swords.. .
This was written as a GOSUB but it
could just as well be a PROC or GOTO,
orjustalineinthemain program.
The MOVEO. at the beginning over-
comes the POINT bug in the 0.1 OS.
Within the last few weeks I have writ-
ten an even better mode dump, which
although still in Basic takes only about
4| minutes-yet it almost fills an A4
sheet. I calculate that the printer runs at
the rate of about 1900 printer pixels per
second and as the printer is busy
almost all the time I doubt if a machine
code routine would speed things up
much.
Here is the new program (listing 5),
which this time has to be in two lines.
As with listing 4 I have given it nominal
line numbers.
One snag with this routine is that the
screen must not be allowed to scroll as
the screen memory is read directly. I
enclose a few samples from both pro-
grams.
900 MOVEO,0: VDU29,0;0;2,1 , 27 , 1 , 51 , 1 , 24
, 1,13: FOR Yy.= 1023TaOSTEP-32: VDU 1,27, 1,76,
1 ,22,1 ,2:FDRW7.=0TQ6401STEP12: Xy.=W7./5: A'/.=
0:FDR27.=2T030STEP4:A7.=A"/.*2+PQINT(X7.,Yy.-Z
7.) -.NEXT: VDUl , A7.: NEXT: VDUl , 10, 1 , 13: NEXT: V
DU 1 , 27 , 1 , 64 , 3 : RETURN
Listing 4. One-liner from Bernard Beeston that produces good mode screen dumps from
various printers. It takes about seven minutes
900 VDU2, 1 ,27, 1 ,51 , 1 ,24, 1 , 13: A7.=32135:
REPEAT : VDU 1,27,1,76,1,64,1,3: FQRB7.=A7.TDA
7.-19a40STEF-640: F0RC7.=B7.T0B7.-7STEF-1 : VDU
1, ?C7., 1 ,?C7., 1 ,?C7.: IFC7. MOD 4=0VDU1,?C7.
910 NEXT, : VDUl ,10,1, 13: A7.=A7,+a: UNTILA7-
>32767 : VDU 1 , 27 , 1 , 64 , 3 : RETURN
Listing 5. Two-liner from Mr Beeston that executes dumps in less than five minutes
Just testing . . . Sample dump produced by Bernard Beeston's one-line routine
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
BEEB FORUM
I
ifeEl
Teletext editing
A USEFUL machine code program that
enables teletext characters to be edited
on the screen comes from Jon Warmis-
ham. Jon writes . . .
The routine (listing 6) is called with
CALL&1800 (or whatever P% is set to)
and makes only the keys Q,W,A,S,X,Z
and the cursor keys active. The letter
keys correspond to the six character
cells of a mode 7 graphic character and
when the cursor is positioned under a
character, each cell can be turned off
and on independently. Pressing
Escape returns command to Basic and
normal editing can continue.
If a program line is edited in this way
it must be copied with the copy key as
the edited image is only a 'screen
image'. The routine saves the time and
trouble of looking up each correspond-
ing character code while typing in
strings. I use the upper ASCII code
table to enable the full set of graphics
shapes.
Together with the function-key set up
published in the May edition, this rou-
tine gives a full teletext editor available
in command mode.
10 REM Rautme (
□ r
oi t. inq moiJe '
5B0
. q LOBE!. 1
,
store value in
2n REM graphics
in command mode.
590
STA temp
lero pjge
r.O REM Use i;ALLi?,19iXi ta acl.vste.
600
JSR read
1
jump to read. . .
40 REM Pres- ■ E5C to f ^tuf.i to WlfaU . '
felO
JSR loop
bacl. to loop.
50 REM Jur. War i
I b.hsni ft ) r"'t.i4
620
RTS
60 REM Kevs ; [1
LO
t30
. w LDflCiL'
\
store value in
71.1 REM rt
a
6 "to
STA temp
\
zero fiagif
BO REM /
■
650
JSR read
\
juiHp to read. . .
'JO REM Car--P^pcr
11 \A
11. the i, pir.e%5
bbO
JSR 1 oop
V
back to loop.
lOO FEM of a huttE
7 HijRhic c^a^flCte^.
trr'.-
RTS
111' WODt 7
&BO
. a LDA£t.4
\
Etore .-slue in
121.1 temp=?..70
b-io
STA temp
\
sero page
i~ii FDftPASS^oTo:;
STEF _-
700
JSR read
\
jump tr) read. . .
Ki.i F-/.=!'.10tjO
710
JSR loop
,
biick to loop.
150 tOPl PflSS
-720
RT5
l-t^ii .Iciop LDflEM
\
•FX 4,1 Cursor I'bve
77-0
. ^ L dae:«<8
■,
store value in
!^li LDXtl
\
npw return codes
-40
STA temp
\
;:ero paqe
igii JSW.FFF4
\
&B8 to !.3B
750
JSFJ read
>
Jump to resd. . .
1 VO LDia£.^,F
N
flush I'^vbDard
7611
JSR loop
back to loop.
-'Xi LDI.Cl
\
bukfer
770
RTS
21 i"l JSRSiFFFil
>
via osbytP
781:1
.? LDAtf-lo
1
store value in
:;ii LDAEO
\
Icidd Ace. :jnd Y
790
STA temp
\
i:ero page
.■?-.! 1 THK
\
registers with
BOO
JSR read
\
lump to reiid
.■lij JSR.VFFEli
\
Dsrdch roLitine
BIO
JSti 1 nop
back to loop.
■.■"" LMFXf-lB
\
IS it -ESC' ?
820
RTS
.rtii BNE o/sr
\
no. . lump over .
870
.; LDfleS.411
1,
5tore value i n
:7:. |_DA£!-7E
\
acl-nowledge EEC.
840
STA temp
s
lera page
ZB'.- .ISRS.FFFa
\
via astivte and
aao
JS5R read
\
lump to re^d. . .
':fo LCiciEt.A
\
reinstate turanr
860
J BR loop
\
bdct to loop.
:oo LDXEo
I
editing tar a clean
07.:i
RTS
310 JSft^FFFI
\
return to BASIC
990
.read LDHEO
\
empty X register
r.2i:i RT3
S90
l.DAC&e7
\
read character dt
ZZO .over CMFE&5
\
15 kev D ''
9O0
JSRJ.FFF4
\
cursor and transfer
7.4 i.i BED a
\
yes. jump to g
910
IXA
\
to Accumulator
550 CMFes<S7
\
15 key 'W'
920
EOR temp
s
e'fC lusive-or with temp
:.bO BED w
\
yee. jLimp to w
930
DRACS-BO
\
adjust to higher
T7m f:MPC!.41
■ \
15 key A ?
ASCII table
380 BEQ a
\
ves. Jump to d
940
JSRS.FFEE
\
ssnd to screen
7911 criPE».5:.
■■
1 5 key ' S ■ "■
fSO
LDAta
back space to
i:irlgindl position
100 BED 5
411,1 CMPe(,5A
\
yes. jump to e.
1 s key ■ Z ■ ^
960
970
JSRiFFEE
RIS
^
IZO BEC r
\
yea. jump to 2
9311
-left LOAta
.,
vdii a
1311 CMPESiSB
^
15 key X''
99C1
JSR!.FFEE
\
movp cur ^rjr ■
44i> BEO K
■ISii CMFTS.S8
\
ye&- jump to >r
IS kev left cursor ^
1 iJOii
1010
JRR locip
RTS
^
b.'Cli to loop.
46>,< BEO le+t
\
ves. jump to left
.right LDAC?
,
-QU V
4'ii CMPEf-B";
15 tey right cursor"^
10;i-i
JSR!.FFEE
mu-e ci.i sor
4B11 eeo n ght
4911 CMP£.".SA
\
ve5. jump to r 1 ghL
1 s k^y donn cursor ' ?
1 1 i4ij
1 05c;i
JSR 1 oop
RTS
■^
b*ck l:i:i 1 ciop.
511 i:i SEO rtjwn
\
yea. jump to down
11160
.up LDAEll
^
^Ji, 11
5]u CMFt^BB
\
1 s key ' up cur sor ' "■
107i;i
JSRf-FFEE
move cur sor .
J 211 BEO up
*
yes. Jump to up
loa..
Jt.R liiop
tiacl ta loop.
•jZO BNE lociB
no"' bdck to loop
1 O90
RTS
540 -down LtlOtl'-i
^
-dLl lo
I lOii
1 1 1 1 1
J
55u JSR^FFEE
>
move cursor.
rJC » 1 rr.ss
560 JSR loop
1 1 .'1 1
i.rJii
7:711 RT5
Listing 6. Jon Warmisham's teletext character editing program
LET YOIR BBC SYSTEM GROW ON
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D Upper shelf measures 1270 x 480mm.
n Lower shelves measure 1270 x 550mm.
: Zygon Producls, l-RKKPOST, 1 Shrredes Drive, Huddesdon. Hem, tMl SBR
Please send me (No sUmp required
ZYGON DELTA Slands al £1 18.45 (incl. p&p and VAT)
SR I
rcdl I
I
I
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rtKitctHle m
ry. Full refund if goods returned undamaited wiihin 14 days. I
Brochure of Ihe complele I enclose cheque for £
Zygon range. payable lu Zygon ProducU.
Pa«tc(Hle
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
4^'
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
105
HARDWARE
!i|Ea
I
Paul Beverley
L
AST month, in this series of
articles about how the BBC micro
works, we looked at the random
number generator {RNG), which is
implemented in Basic. Having estab-
lished that random numbers are gener-
ated by using a software algorithm, we
looked at ways of speeding this pro-
cess up, first by accessing the machine
code programs directly rather than
through the RND function, and secondly
by writing a simpler and faster algo-
rithm.
This month we look at three ways of
speeding things up even more. There is
an even better software generator and
then two hardware generators that can
be connected to the computer via the
user port. The first hardware generator
(figure 1) uses a purely digital circuit
and is in fact a hardware version of the
algorithm used in the Basic inter-
preter -ie. a shift register with exclu-
sive-OR feedback. The second (figure
2) is a 'true' random number generator
as opposed 'pseudo-random'. It uses
the analogue technique of amplifying
the random noise generated by an
electronic component.
'The random number
generator algorithm
in Hi-Basic is much
faster than the one
in Basics I and II'
Software RNG
The random number generator algor-
ithm in Hi-Basic {as used on second
processors) is much faster than the one
in Basics I and II. To be precise, the
subroutine in Basic I and II that gener-
ates each four-byte (32-bit) random
number takes 714 microseconds,
whereas the equivalent subroutine in
Hi-Basic, even when run on the stan-
dard machine, takes only 156 micro-
seconds - a considerable saving.
In the original subroutine, a 33-bit
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Paul Beverley and Nigel Earmes, in
quest of a better random number
generator, offer three alternatives:
one software and two hardware
HIGH-SPEED
RANDOM NUMBERS
number was shifted 32 times, one bit at
a time, to produce the new number. To
improve the speed, Hi-Basic shifts the
33-bit number one byte at a time and
therefore makes only four shifts.
Although the routine itself is longer,
since it is done only four times it is a lot
faster. This new routine is shown in
program 1. This program uses the rou-
tine with only a single byte-shift to show
how to produce single-byte random
numbers, but for a four-byte number
you would CALL or JSR the routine
starting from "newRND" (line 40) -ie,
entering the 'next byte' routine (line 70)
with the Y-register containing 4-and
then pull out the resulting number from
locations &0D to &10. If you are using
Basic then you would use !&0D.
Digital RNG
The digital random number generator
consists of two eight-bit shift registers
in series (2 x 74LS164), with exclusive-
OR gates applying feedback to the data
input, forming what is known as a ring-
counter or chain-code generator. The
number produced by this ring-counter
is read into the 6522 VIA shift register
through the CB2 line, while the CB1 line
provides clock pulses to do the shifting.
When the register is not being read, it is
continuously shifted by a 5MHz clock
consisting of a simple Schmitt trigger
astable circuit. The PB7 line from the
VIA is used to disable this oscillator
while the shift register is being read by
the VIA.
If the PBO line, which is also exclu-
sive-ORed in with the feedback, is kept
at a constant logic level then the shift
register will go through a fixed cycle of
(2^16-1) states (65535). This does not
seem to compare very favourably with
the software RNG implemented in
Basic, which uses a 33-bit shift register,
but there are two ways in which the ran-
domness is improved. First, the 5MHz
clock is exercising the ring counter all
the time, except when it is being read,
unlike the Basic RNG. which is shifted
only when a new number is called for.
Thus the numbers returned by the
hardware RNG will depend on how long
it is since the register was last
accessed. Also, the clock is free-
running which means that the way it
shifts the ring counter is totally inde-
pendent of the operation of the pro-
cessor.
The second added randomness is
that the PBO line, which is also exclu-
sive-ORed into the feedback line, is
inverted every time an IRQ interrupt
occurs. This means that at least every
10 milliseconds -usually more often-
the data chain of the ring counter is
altered- Again, as with the 5MHz clock,
this event is independent of the timing
of the main program.
Analogue RNG
As with the digital RNG, the number is
read into the computer by using the VIA
shift register. The data is latched from a
bistable, which itself is clocked by digi-
tal noise generated by amplifying the
noise from a zener diode noise source.
The reason for using the bistable is that
the raw data, amplified from the zener,
may not spend equal times high and
low which, if read directly, would there-
fore produce bias towards those
numbers with more bits at logic 1 or
more bits at logic 0.
The analogue part of the circuit con-
sists of a high-gain, high-bandwidth
amplifier, driving a transistor switch.
This clocks a negative edge triggered
bistable so that the bistable output is
dependent on the random frequency
Please turn to yellow pages I and
ij for the two listings referred to
in this article
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PERSONAL CALLKRS WKIXOME AT OLR
MAGNinCENT NKW SHOWR(K)MS AT
12 HIGH ST., PKTERSHKI I), HANTS
ACOHM USER SEPTEMBEH 1984
107
HARDWARE
I
iim
u
■+5V
1/2 7iLS0a
390
ytyOp
74LS13
+5V0-
filVc"
111
±10n ±10r. ^
Decoupling capacitors
One near to eocti poir ot IC's-
& >
U
CK
MR A Vcc
74LS16i
GND Q7
Ofl
= 1
From PB7
o
From CB1
13
■o+SV
MR A Vcc
74LS16i
Ql GNO O4 Qa
12
74LS86
= 1
13
-oilV
From PB«i
To CB2
Figure 1 . CrrcuM diagram of the digital random number generator
ITT
•-+12V
■ik7 Sl5k ^2k7 SlOOjJ =10n >2k2
1100>j
BZX
61
■B lUUU B I
Timer 2 0/P
9CB1
33k S470
lOOn
ev2
6kB <lk5
I
1
:6k8
lOn
]100;j ^lOk
16
SRir*
9CB2
13
5 12
U
+5V
n
±10n S
76LS112
;ioop
ov
Figure 2. Circuit diagram of the analogue random number generator
changes rather than the amplitude
changes of the noise source. The out-
puts of the first bistable are fed into the
J and K inputs of the second bistable,
which latches the data on the negative
going edge of the CB1 output.
Software for the hardware
Program 2 shows the control software
for the two hardware RNGs, plus tests
to check their randomness. These are
the two tests that we used last month for
checking the software RNGs. The
subroutines necessary for the digital
RNGare in lines 820 to 1300, and those
for the analogue RNG in lines 1340 to
1560.
The test routines occupy lines 1720 to
2210.
Clearly this program as a whole
shows ail the routines needed to test
both RNGs, which in practice you will
not want to do, but it should be easy
enough once you have decided which
generator to use to type in only the
lines you need. You will need to use this
program if you make a generator, as it
will show you whether or not the hard-
ware is working correctly. This is
especially important in the case of the
analogue RNG because the maximum
speed at which you can read it is deter-
mined by the bandwidth of the ampli-
fier, and that will depend finally on the
transistors used and even the layout of
the components on the printed circuit
board.
When the tests are run, you will find
that the histogram shows a degree of
'drooping' at each end if you are trying
to read it too fast. That is to say that
numbers with lots of zeros or lots of
ones occur less often than average.
The prototype needed a delay of six to
ensure that there was no visible bias on
the histogram test.
Which RNG?
If you need to produce random
numbers more quickly than the Basic
random number generator is capable
of, which of the three suggested here
would be most suitable?
In terms of speed, the digital RNG is
the fastest at 20 microseconds per
eight-bit number; the new software
RNG is next at 44 microseconds; and
the analogue slowest at 128 micro-
seconds. One point to note, though, is
that with the two hardware generators.
the time quoted is the maximum time
between readings rather than the
length of time taken to do the reading.
In other words, during the time that the
VIA is busy shifting in the new value,
the processor can be doing some cal-
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
109
HARDWARE
I
culations with the previously generated
number.
The minimum time needed to read
the digital RNG is five microseconds,
assuming that the X register is avail-
able with zero in it to put into the high
byte of Timer 1, and that you do not
bother checi<ing whether the timer 1
flag is set. If you do this, you must be
sure that the time taken to process each
number is greater than 15 micro-
seconds. If you try to read the number
too soon then you will get an incorrect
reading and the randomness will be
reduced.
To read the analogue RNG. again
assuming that you do not try to read it
too soon, takes only 2.5 micro-
seconds - the time of an LDA &FE6A.
Clearly the software generator is the
easiest to implement since no hard-
ware needs to be made available. This
would be a considerable advantage if.
for example, you wanted a class of
students to run the same simulation on
each of say 10 microcomputers. Also.
this generator can be used on the Elec-
tron directly, whereas for the hardware
RNGs you'd need to add a 6522 VIA
interface (as explained in Acorn User,
December 1983). Remember though
that the timings on the Electron will be
different as the RAM worl<s at half the
speed of the ROM.
Which of the two hardware gener-
ators you think is simpler to construct
depends on whether you prefer to
make up digital circuits or analogue cir-
cuits. In terms of software though, as
you can see from program 2, the digital
generator needs more instructions -
an'interrupt routine needs setting up,
and you need to control Timer 1 instead
of it working entirely automatically on
Timer 2. as with the analogue gener-
ator. Also the digital generator uses
two extra control lines - PBO and PB7.
It would be helpful to know which one
gives the 'best' random numbers. Un-
fortunately the two tests we have used
can only show whether there are any
obvious defects. In theory though,
since the analogue generator is based
on a truly random process, it should be
the best. Whether it is or not, and which
of the other two generators is the
better, we cannot as yet say, since we
know of no more rigorous tests. We
issued a plea last month for any tame
statisticians who know how we could
test our generators to contact us via the
editor, but so far we've had no re-
sponse. When we do. we'll publish the
results for ail the generators that we've
looked at in both articles.
Next month: If you have made up the
digital random number generator you'll
be well on the way to having a systeni
that can be used to 'exercise' different
parts of your computer. You'll be able
to find out if there are any faults in the
computer's hardware, and go some
way towards locating them through a
process known as 'signature analysis'.
ARIES UPGRADE Jacguetta Megarry finds the
FOR WORDWISE advantages ... and snags
Wordwise-Aries wordprocessing ROM,
BBC, Computer Concepts, £46 inc (or £10
in exchange for Wordwise ROM)
A NEW version of the Wordwise word-
processing ROM for the BBC micro is
now available. The upgrade costs C10 if
you return your existing chip to Com-
puter Concepts; new customers can get
the latest version from dealers at the
same price as the old.
Called the Wordwise-Aries, the up-
grade - now being sold as the standard
Wordwise ROM - has been designed to
capitalise on the Aries RAM expansion
board from Cambridge Computer Con-
sultants, With the Aries B20 board
fitted. Wordwise users can preview the
format of long documents at 80 charac-
ters per line. In the previous standard
set-up, this was only possible up to
around 1,500 words; longer documents
have to be previewed at 40 characters
per line, making format difficult to
check. The overall word limit (about
4,500 words) for a Wordwise text file
remains the same.
Users without the Aries board may
still prefer the new Wordwise. as it
incorporates worthwhile extra features
without any vices of incompatibility.
Pauses can be forced during preview
or printing instantaneously by pressing
the space bar, or in advance by insert-
ing an embedded command into the
text. This is useful to arrest unwanted
scrolling or to permit a change of daisy-
wheel,
A powerful new feature allows com-
mands to be passed to the BBC's oper-
ating system from within the text- For
example, the embedded command
OS"CAT" would cause a catalogue of
all the files held on disc to be printed as
part of the document. Using the OS
command to access other ROMs or
files, you can make spreadsheets,
screen dumps of graphics and fancy
lettering an integral part of documents
printed out under Wordwise,
Other features of the Wordwise-
Aries include the ability fo switch
between or suppress printers at the
output stage and the option to print mul-
tiple copies automatically using a
machine code routine.
What are the snags with the new
arrangement? The main benefits will
only be felt if you buy the Aries board,
which means spending another £99,95,
However, this gives you 20k of extra
RAM for Basic programs too (making
51k addressable in mode 7). It will not fit
if you already have a sideways ROM
board -essential for combining Word-
wise with other firmware like the
Graphics ROM. the new Printmaster,
Microtext and spreadsheet or database
chips. However, Cambridge Computer
Consultants has brought out a compat-
ible board (the 812) at E46 which
accepts 12 ROMs- The B20 and B12 can
both be fitted at once and together they
represent a major upgrade to an
already powerful machine. This is an
option which should be considered by
anyone who regularly uses Wordwise
on long documents or who finds the 32k
RAM limit restrictive.
What I greatly regret is that the
opportunity was not taken to correct
Wordwise's unfriendliest feature: the
system will accept an instruction to
save to a filename already in use with-
out asking if the user really means it. So
if you hit Save by mistake instead of
Load (easily done as they are adjacent
on the menu) you can overwrite a live
file with an empty memory. Designer
Charles Moir is aware of this problem
and considered trapping it. Alas, the
Aries modifications left too little space
on the ROM. But 1 bet more people have
accidentally lost a file this way than
have been handicapped by the 40-
column preview. Let's hope Computer
Concepts does a fresh upgrade for
occasionally absent-minded users like
me.
Computer Concepts is at 16 Wayside,
Chipperfield. Herts WD4 9JJ. Tel
(09277) 69727.
Cambridge Computer Consultants is at
Science Park. Milton Road, Cambridge
CB44BH. Tel (0223) 862614.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
The Aries File
CRUSHED BETWEEN AN IRRESISTIBLE FORCE AND AN IMMOVABLE OBJECT?
If your high-resolution screen is
squeezing you from one side, and your
operating system from the other, isn't it
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ARIES-B20 is the board which
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Unlike "sideways-RAM" systems,
ARIES-B20 offers you transparent
access to 20K of extra memory, replac-
ing the RAM swallowed up by the high-
resolution graphics modes. The extra
RAM is switched in completely
automatically, meaning that your exist-
ing software can make use of it without
modification.
This means that If you're a program-
mer, you have up to 28K RAM availa-
ble for BASIC, FORTH, LISP, BCPL,
LOGO and COMAL programs in ANY
SCREEN MODE. If you're a business
user, the extra memory is used by
VIEW, VIEWSHEET, WORDWISE
and many other applications. And if
you're a scientific type, you can get
access to a massive 47K of data stor-.
age using the Acorn-approved ARIES
• FXcall.
COMPATIBILITY ASSURED
With the huge range of Beeb add-ons
that are becoming available, compati-
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Every extra you buy your computer
might lock you out from a host of
others, even if it works with those you
already possess.
ARIES-B20, designed by BBC Micro
experts, offers you true upgradeability.
In addition to the rest of the ARIES fam-
ily (the ARIES-B12 ROM expansion
board and the ARIES-B488 IEEE-488
interface unit), ARIES-B20 is compati-
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PROFESSIONAL QUALITY
The ARIES range is designed to work
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And all this is backed up by the ARIES
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WHAT THE PRESS SAID
"the most exciting add-on"
- Times Educational Supplement, fVlarch 1984
"a very professional product"
- A & B Computing, fWarch/April 1984
"an attractive solution to the lack of sufficient mem-
ory on the Beeb" - Beebug, March 1 984
"this is an impressive piece of equipment in its own
right and deserves to be taken seriously"
- Acorn User, April 1984
"the trouble with a paged RAfvl system is that the
software has to be aware that it is there. The Aries
RAM board gets round this limitation brilliantly"
- The Micro User, June 1 984
NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH DEALERS
To cope with the continuing growth of demand, the
unique ARIES-B20 RAM expansion has now been
made available through selected dealers. Although
ARIES-B20 can be fitted by a complete layman in a
matter of minutes, a fitting service is offered by
approved dealers to those customers unwilling to
delve inside the case of their BBC Micro.
The recommended retail price of ARIES-B20 is just
£1 1 5 (inc VAT) for the 820 board, operating system
extension ROM and detailed manual. Enquire at
your local dealer or order direct by post from the
Manufacturers (see below).
(Machine requirements: Model 'B', MOS 1.2,
Hardware plugs into CPU socket, software uses
one sideways ROM socket
How to order:
Send cheque or postal order made
payable to:
Aries Computers
and forward to:
Aries Computers
Science Park, Milton Road,
Cambridge CB4 4BH
Telephone Cambridge (0223) 86261 4
Aries Computers is a division of
Cambridge Computer Consultants Limited.
Please send me (Qty.) ARIES-B20(s) at £1 15.00
(incl. PP. & VAT)
I enclose a cheque/postal order made payable to
Aries Computers for £
Signed
Name (block letters)
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I
John Vaux wraps
up his Z80 bundle
of reviews with a
look at Nucleus
and the languages
YOUR OWN F
MASTER
HLES
I
N THE first two articles on the 'free'
software that comes with Acorn's
Z80 second processor we looked at
the Accountant book-keeping program.
MemoPlan (a word processor), Graph-
Plan (a spreadsheet) and FilePlan (an
indexed data storage program). Now
we'll consider the remaining packages
in the bundle and summarise the whole
Z80 package.
NUCLEUS
This is a system generator
written by Compact Software
International, which also wrote
>*ccounfan^(see July issue).
It is a program that creates
computer programs based
on a menu-driven question-
and-answer session with the
user. Its usefulness is based on
thefactthata large proportion
of the activities In many
business applications are
similar, differing only in the
structure of the data being
processed. These operations
are data input(includmg
validation); data viewing,
including sorting and selection;
and updating, particularly of
master files such as ledgers and
printing reports from the data,
possibly combining information
from more than one file. Nucleuscan
generate programs to do all these
things.
Using Nucleus
The documentation for Nucleus is in the
same house style as the rest of the
packages and is again very good. It
contains easy to follow step-by-step
instructions on how to do the various
operations and useful information on
how to design your system. An
example system - a school records
system -is used to illustrate how to
build up quite a useful set of programs.
On-screen help is displayed as the
operation continues, telling you what is
going on and prompting you.
Like Accountant, the whole opera-
tion starts from the start-of-day disc.
The program asks you for the date and
then a program disc. This is the last you
see of the start-of-day disc unless you
need to restart the system.
Running Nucleus involves a lot of
disc changing. Apart from the start-of-
day disc there are three Nucleus
discs -definition, reporting and para-
meter file -and discs for your created
programs and data.
All I have space to do is summarise
the operations required to set up a
system.
1, Create a parameter file if one does
not already exist. This procedure need
be done only once and indeed has
already been done for you in this pack-
age.
2. Create a system definition. This has
the name of the system and a system
code (used for generating program
names, etc).
3. Create file definitions. With this you
indicate if it is a master file or a trans-
action file and enter details of
each data field (name, length, type
and so on). Atthis stage you also
specify the key field or fields to
be used for direct access to your
file. Up to five key fields may be
specified, but more than two
slows down the processing time
noticeably.
4, Create update program. You
specify here the file and fields
to be updated, and a data
input screen is automatically
generated. If you do not like
the screen layout provided you
can change it. While it is gen-
erating the program it shows
on the screen the number
of lines created so you can
see that something is happen-
ing. Atypicalsimpleupdate
program contained 130 lines
and took just over a minute
to generate.
5. Create file linkage.
This is an optional
feature but a powerful
one. Two files may be
linked via a key field to
enable automatic updating
of one from the other
(for example, updating of master file
from transaction file) or automatic pick-
ing up of data for validation or printing
(for example, fetching a description for
a code). Full explanations of how to
design and implement linked files are
in the manual.
6. Print file definitions. This option
prints details of the file, including the
generated file name - in case you want
to do clever things with the data. It also
prints a specification of all the fields.
including their positions in the record.
7. Create master file print program.
This and subsequent options are in the
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
mm
a little bit of magic
from
MERLIN COMPUTER PRODUCTS
AN UNBEATABLE COMBINATION! A WORD PROCESSOR
AND DATABASE WHICH CAN BE INTEGRATED.
MERLIN SCRIBE
The first professiona
word
processor
for the
BBC disc
system
Among the many features available are:
• Create up to 255 pages in a single document.
• Screen user selectable 40 or 80 column with choice of
background and text colours.
• Insert text at any page on the document whether
currently In memory or not.
• Powerful editing commands:
Move, copy and delete with affected text displayed In
reverse video. Will move or copy within a page or to any
other page in the document.
• Word search and replace — Item by item or globally
throughout the document.
• "Go to page" — next and previous using up and down
cursor keys or go directly to page numbers
• On screen underlining.
• Format line controls document width and allows setting
of right and left margins.
• Tabs set on format line as required.
• Automatic centre and decimal tab.
• Text reformatting.
• Split page and dynamic page break display.
• Word count and display of cursor position by column & line
number.
• Will use disc surfaces to 3 as allowed by the BBC system.
• All disc filing operations menu driven, eg. re-name, copy,
delete document, compact and catalogue disc, etc. No
knowledge of the disc system required.
• Exec document — allows conversion of BASIC programs
for editing byword processoi and then re-conversion back to
either text or program files,
• File merge — one or more documents or other text files
may be merged In sequence from any disc drive between
and 3.
• Automatic page numbering with page number Insertion
at any point on the page.
• Headers and footers.
• Total facility print module including selection of serial or
parallel output, global printer control codes, page numbering
offset, print from page to page, repeat print, etc.
• Selection of up to nine user definable keys for Insertion of
printer control codes Into text, with up to five codes
allocated to each key.
• Control number of page display lines for scroll speed
Increase.
The program comes attractively packaged in a simulated
leather grain wallet which contains the manual, disc, chip &
function key legend strip.
MERLIN DfiTflBfiSE
Merlin Database is a database system designed
exclusively for the BBC disc based computer. It provides
for the structural Input of text and numerical data
which is stored permanently as a record on the
computer. A group of records constitutes a
^database. Any number of databases may be
'created using Merlin Database.
Once created there are sophisticated facilities
available for searching, selecting and drawing off
Information from the database by means of defining
the search characteristics. This information can then
be formatted for producing printed reports, lists etc.
Performance
• Maximumrecordsperdatabase4000 • Maximum
record size 1 800 characters • Maximum no. of fields 32
• Maximum no. of characters for any single field 900
• Find any record In 2 seconds via key field access
• Search every character In a 1 00 kb database In 29 sees
Field Types
• Numeric — up to 9 digits • Date
• Sub fields for economic disc usage I.e. specify average
& maximum field size
Data Search
• Search results directory held with database on disc
• Data can be passed to mall merge and report writer
• 1 6 level conditional search
• Search conditions Include not', >, <, ^ .
• Wildcard
• Database automatically sorted by key field
• Databasse can be set to re-sort to any alternative set of
key fields
Report Writing
• Database will integrate with Merlin Scribe word
processor
• Format printer output with simple forms editor
• High powered forms layout & editing using Scribe (alls. rt.
Justify)
• Arithmetic calculations & accumulators
• Conditional report writing
• Semi programming facility for forms & report generation
Other Facilities
• Mail merge using Scribe • Conditional mall merge
• Automatic reformating of lines • Capable of conditional
transfer of information between databases.
Database comes In chip with manual, simple fitting
Instructions & systems disc. Also planned Is the production of
Database Integrated with the Merlin Scribe word processor In
a single chip although the database Is designed to Integrate
easily with Scribe In a separate chip.
MERLIN DATABASE £49.00
MERLIN SCRIBE £59.95
MERLIN SCRIBE/DATABASE £95.00
Prices include VAT. Price and specification subjecr to change
without prior notice.
Credit card orders accepted. Special discounts for
educational establishments and dealers.
MERLIN COMPUTER PRODUCTS (BUCON LTD)
35/36 SINGLETON STREET, SWANSEA SAT 3QN
Tel: (0792J 467980 13 lines)
114
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
r
reporting section of Nucleus. This gives
a simple print of a master file.
8. Create selected report program. This
gives you a more complex print of any
file. You may specify headings, which
fields are to be printed and any values
to be computed. You may also select
and/or sort your data records and
create totals.
9. Label printing. This is a program for
printing out labels from your files on
continuous label paper. To allow for
small variations in label printing paper
you may specify width to the nearest
tenth of an inch and height to the near-
estsixthofaninch.
10. Standard letters. To generate a con-
tinuous run of standard letters from a
file (say, for a mail shot) this is the pro-
gram to use- It has its own simple word-
processor to input the text of the letter
and you indicate where the variable
text from the file is to appear.
11. Document writer. This is similar to
the standard letter option but instead of
generating a letter for each record it
generates a report with an inbuilt list-
ing of the data incorporated. This is a
rather complex routine and in the short
time available to look at it I was notable
to make it work fully. Careful study of
the manual and a step-by-step
approach should eventually give
results.
Conclusion
The above brief summary is an indi-
cation of what you can do with Nucleus.
As long as you don't require your
system to do clever data manipulation,
you should be able to design and imple-
ment a fairly complex system in a
matter of days instead of the weeks or
months it would take with traditional
programming languages. It tends to
become a bit fiddly at times with lots of
Details OK (Y/N)' prompts to answer
and lots of disc changes, so good qual-
y^P^^^^^
POWOOTC
ity discs with reinforced centres should
be used. Having said that it is certainly
possible for intelligent non-program-
mers to use it and it is a worthy addition
to this bundle of software,
LANGUAGES
Two versions of Basic and CIS Gobol
are provided. The two Basics are the
Z80 version of BBC Basic and a 'Pro-
fessional' Basic more like the tradi-
tional Basics that have been around for
sometime.
BBC Basic is virtually identical to
that provided with your BBC micro. A
small manual is provided giving the dif-
ferences between them, the main one
of course being that the built-in
assembler is Z80 code rather than
6502. Other differences are to do with
the CP/M operating environment. A
utility program called D/p is provided to
enable programs to be copied from
DFS disc format to CP/M format. Also
on the disc are the well-known 'Wel-
come' programs, which all worked like
the originals.
Professional Basic is a 'run only' im-
plementation. This means that there is
no built-in editor for interactive
development of a program. This Basic
reads and executes Basic ASCII source
code programs. The idea is that you
take tfie ASCII files of existing business
programs and, provided you can get
them copied onto BBC discs, you can
run them unchanged on the Z80 second
processor. They can, of course, be
edited using a wordprocessor such as
MemoPlan, or new programs may be
written in the same way.
Benchmarks on the two Basics and
on 6502 BBC Basic were as follows:
Prime numbers to 5000 (Sieve method)
6502 48 sees
Z80 38 sees
Prof. 30 sees
PCW Benchmark No. 7.
6502 22 sees
Z8017secs
Prof. ISsecs
As BBC Basic is known to be fast, the
fact that Professional Basic is even
faster is quite impressive.
You are either a Cobol programmer
or you are not. For the Cobol enthusiast
this is a full implementation of this well-
known version of Cobol, complete with
'Forms2' screen designer and 'Anima-
tor' debugging tool for stepping
through your program. The retail price
of this alone is way above the price of
the Z80 second processor.
OVERALL CONCLUSIONS
The Z80 second processor runs the
CP/M operating system, which is the
standard for eight-bit micros. This
potentially gives you access to the hun-
dreds of application packages written
for that system. All that is required is for
the package to be made available on
BBC disc format and for it to be confi-
gured for the BBC micro's screen and
keyboard control sequences.
Most good packages have a confi-
gure program to achieve the latter. No
doubt the software distributors are
780 B
,ec6AS\c
cnv)?**
already working on this. In fact. Soft-
ware Limited is promising 300 pack-
ages 'soon' (July issue, page 9). In the
meantime Acorn has provided this free
bundle of software. Many people will
not need to buy any more, as there is
something for everyone. In fact they are
unlikely to find a use for all the software
provided.
AM of it is professionally written and
documented and I rale it from good to
excellent, I thoroughly recommend the
Z80 second processor with all its free
software to anyone with a BBC micro
wishing to upgrade to a full business
system. Indeed, it should be con-
sidered as a cost-effective way to
obtain a business system even if you
haven't already got a BBC machine.
The main problem is the amount of
desk space required as nothing can
really stand on anything else.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Inc. VAT
Serial and Parallel ~~
Interfaces
Easily Replaceable Ink Cartridges
149
CGPl 15. Compact TRS-80 colour printer creates beautiful graphics in
red. blue, green and black. Text mode prints 40 or 80 characters per
line at 1 2 characters per second. Includes serial and parallel interfaces
and easily replaceable ink cartridges and standard 4^/2" paper rolls
26-1192 £149.00
Take A Look At Tandy, Today!
See Our Extensive Range of Microcomputer Accessories
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duiing me l^sl six months al Ihe Tandy S\are Tameway
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2 NEW BUSINESS
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■
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■
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EASY TO FOLLOW USER GUIDE MANUAL
DISK ONLV * PRICES INCLUDE UAT U DELIVERV SV nEGISTERED KAAIL WITHIN 10 DavS
EITHER PROGflAM tM» . BOTH TOQETHER fW . STATE SINGLE OH DOUBLE QHIVE. WW TRACK
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PEAR TREE MEADOWO ELLINGTON THORPE O HUNTINGDON© CAMBS SOiBO- 811573
HARRIS McCUTCHEOlM SYSTEMS
are pleased to release
HMS HOME ACCOUNTS £28.75
HMS VAT TRADER'S LEDGER £21.50
HMS BASIC ENVIRONMENT £14.50
loBSCMicrocompuTetuserswuhaminimu'iicd'ifigurationof 1 ■ 40 track singlesideddiscand an 8" 132 column (ciindensed mode) primer loamaxjmumconfiguraiion
o12 ■ 80 Irackdoublesideddiscand a 1 5" prinler. The programs allowuser allocation of each file belweer'DBIVEO, 1 ,2or3,ihusmakingfullijseof ihediscspaceavailable.
H MS HOME ACCOUNTSallowsalllinancial transactions within a definedenvironmeni lobe recorded, printed and analysed Accounis maybe 'econciled with statements
or passbooks, uncleared entries being highlighted. Depending on theanalystsstructure you choose, the system can keep ttack of anything Iromanswenng "howniuchis
inihppigpvhank^" lotndeperideniirackingof multiple bank accounts, credit cards, building aocietvaccountsand cash in hand Theonly reason lor keeping homeaccounts
tnarvlormisltjhavcynii'riirfenl linancial stawsppaient on demand and reconcilesiateinents received iii order to findou! where the money goes Thisprogiam is designed
expressly for these requirements Yoiiwouldn'tkeeplhemiltheseareaswereot no concern, and beingof concern you want lokeepihem thoroughly and etlecttvely. HMS
HOME ACCOUNTS allows this
HMS VAT TRADER'S LEDGER, on the other hand, fulfills a diHerent requirement. Instead of emphasi?in9analysis, the VAT trader wants lo record all his iriwoicesand bills
in the least time possibleconsisient with making out thequanerlyVAT return and getting a well presented ledger listing on demanti Varying and multiple VAT raiesare of
coursecateredlcir Add Ihefactlity to mam tain period toialsan user defined basesother than VAT quarters (such as weekly, monthlyandtolheendofeachiradingaccouni).
and HMS VAT TRADER'S LEDGER should l)e a b(x>n to you as a sole trader through to the low itansaciion company.
Both systems allow for lOOD to 10000 records per fib depending on configuration and Lise, and initialistt on sfiifi BREAK without user OS intervention. Fully documented
source lisiingsand optional user modifiable VIEW lexl operating documentalion are included on the master disc, and fiaid copy manuals are provided
HMS BASIC ENVIRONMENT IS specifically an aid to BASIC program development designed to encourage ihe creation of well struciured readable code in circumstances
wherememory becomesa constrain!. Procedurestohandlescreen I. '0. cursor switching. CLI invocation, andkeyboardvalicfaiionareprovided.witha linking BASIC source-
file compressor which includes variable namecompression to iwobytes.Theabllilytolinkasmany BASIC source modules as destredintoasingle condensed running version
resolves Ihe coder's conflict between spaceand intelligibility: 60% conipressioniseffectedonour sources for the above accounts packages.
Thedisc, manualandinformationconlainedaresoldunderlicensesub|et;t!oihm;onditionthattheyarefof single user smglesiieapptication by or on behalf of thepurchaser,
are not for resale in whole or in part either as onginals or copies, and may not be supplied to a third party as part of a package or used as pan of a package supplied by a third
party to the purch iser, without the written consent of the copyright holders. Damages will be claimed where this occurs, with revocation of license. Purchase indicates
acceptance of license terms.
I enclose f . . . .for the following products (lick and delete where appropriate
HMS HOME ACCOUNTS (C28.76).. .
HMS VAT TRADER'S LEDGER (C21 .50)
HMS BASIC ENVIRONMENT (f14.50)
Please supply on 40 50 track disc, I have VIEW WORDWISE; OS 1.0 't 2: BASIC I'll
Name. ,,.
Address
Postcode
Telephone. . ,. .Oate.,,.,.,.,....-.,.-..H. ,,.
Please send with i hiignc or postal order to. Hatns McCulcheon Systems, 40 Hiintingiliin Slrt'et London Nl IHM 101 609 3207)
VAT, disc, manual, post
and packing inclusive.
The credit card companies
4% take precludes ouf
offering their service.
116
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
>4C0RNSdFT/MI
A complete easy-to-use business package
for the BBC Microcomputer
POUNt^^^
•LEDGERS
Paul Beverley rounds up the last
of the Acornsoft business suite,
the small company accounts packs
'Accounts Payable' and 'Accounts
Receivable', Acornsoft, £24.95 each
(IncVAT)
ONE OF the difficulties of using
micros for doing tfie accounts for
a small business is that no two
applications are alike. The solution
would be an accounting system tailor-
made for your business, but this would
be too expensive for most small busi-
nesses, so we have to rely on off-the-
shelf accounting packages.
The problem is. which one best suits
your requirements? Writers of account-
ing packages have to avoid the
extremes of having too many facilities,
making the package slow, cumber-
some or expensive, or not enough of
them to give the package appeal to a
large enough market.
These two Acornsoft programs have
a wide range of facilities, but are not
excessively expensive, though for most
applications you will need both
Accounts Receivable and Accounts
Payab/e (if anyone knows of a business
which only receives payments and
does not have to make any, let me
know!). So really you have to think of
these two programs as making up a
system costing virtually £50.
The other point to consider is
whether you want just an accounting
package or whether you also want
some of the other facilities aimed at
small businesses that Acornsoft has
produced alongside the accounts pack-
ages. These include Invoicing. Order
Processing, Stock Control, Purchasing
and Mailing List (see reviews in the
ACCOUNTS PAYABLE
Purpose - maintain the purchase
ledger, analyse input VAT, produce
remittance advices and creditor
analyses
-SupplierUpdate
-rJew Entries
-Enquiry
-Amendment
-Deletion
-List All Records
-Ledger Postings
- Invoice Entry
-Credit Note Entry
-Adjustment Entry
-Remittance Advice
This updates the purchase
ledger and prints remittance
advice notes to accompany
payments
-VAT Analysis
-Account Analysis
-Account Enquiry
- Aged Creditor Analysis*
-Close Ledger
This deletes from the purchase
ledger all transactions (before
a certain date) which balance at
zero, thus cleaning up the
ledger and sa vlng file space
Figure 1. Sub-menus of the 'Accounts Pay-
able' package, set out as headings and sub-
headings
June issue). This present review does
not extend to any of these modules, but
the idea of the system as a whole is that
you make use of common data files, so
that as you add more customers or sup-
pliers you need change only one file.
These are disc and printer based
systems -you can't run them without
having both. You could get away with a
single disc but this would involve a lot
of changing of discs since the system
programs are held on a different disc
from the data. It would be possible to
put the data on the programs disc, but
on a 100k drive it wouldn't leave much
room for the data file - less than 20k, in
fact.
When setting up your system, the
first thing to do is put in your own
business information, tell it which of the
modules you are using and what sort of
printer and disc system, and set up
your data files for suppliers and/or
customers. You then go in through a
series of menus to the facility you want.
To give some idea of the facilities
here are the menus available beyond
the main menu of system set-up, listed
as headings and sub-headings (figures
land 2).
As with much Acornsoft material,
these packages are very professionally
produced. I test software by deliber-
ately trying to enter all the wrong re-
sponses I can, but at no point could I get
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
either of them to do anything wrong.
The screen presentation is clear and,
generally speaking, the speed re-
sponse good, though I had only very
smallfilestowork.
The manuals are well set out and
explain clearly what each function does
and how to operate it, though most of
the time the programs are self-docu-
menting and tell you what inputs are
necessary. Because the system as a
whole covers so many different func-
tions-invoicing, mailing and so on-
the format for entering information on
customers and suppliers is rather rigid
and asks for information which you may
not want to use. However, it does mean
that if you decide later on that one of the
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE
Purpose - maintain sales ledger,
ments are allocated to specific
analyse VA T. produce customer
Invoices or 'brought forward'
statements and debtor analyses
when they are allocated to the
latest invoice
- Customer Update
~ Select Account Type (0/1 or
Sub menu as in 'Accounts Pay-
B/F)
able'
-Cash Allocation
-Ledger Postings
-VATAnalysis
-Invoice Entry
-Account Analysis
-Credit Note Entry
-AccountEnquiry
-Amendment
- Customer Statements
-Deletion
-CreditLimitReport
-Cash Allocation
- Aged Debtor Analysis'
Posts payments to account.
-Close Ledger
either 'open item' when pay-
As Accounts Payable'
*Aged debtor and creditor analyses refer to unpaid invoices. What It means
is that you get an analysis, either by week or by month, of all outstanding
payments- ie, who has owed you what and for how long, or to whom you owe
money and for how long you have owe
at.
Figure 2. Sub-menus of 'Accounts Receivable'
>4C0RNSdFr/MI
Acomplete easy-to-use business package
for the BBC Microcon^Hiter
\
X^CCO^^
tsy
other modules would be useful -say,
invoicing - it's easy to build that
module into your system.
This is a very professionally pro-
duced system, is very easy to use, and
you get a lotof facilities for your money.
If the other modules are as well pro-
duced as these then the more you buy,
the better value for money you get.
Write your own compositions for the
BBC microcomputer with
full GRAPHIC display showing treble and bsss staves
VERSATILE SCREEN EDITOR witti sfngle kev input
up to 1,000 note compositions on tape (800 on disc)
SAVE your music/ sound effects on disc or tape
write in ANY KEY; sherps and flats are put in automatically
up to 3 VOICES
redefine up to 16 ENVELOPES
HEAR the notes as you enter them
FULL DOCUMENTATION m USERS GUIDE
PUYBACK any tune/sound eHect IN YOUR OWN PROGRAMS
completely compatible with the graphical ENVELOPE
GENERATOR program which is still available from
SYSTEM at £7.00 inc vat disc or tape
* Ifsagifttocveryftusiiaiedconipater,
thwarted music teacher and parent who
wiiits to give a child something that is
amusing yet educational And it's so
much fim to use!
This excelleni piece of software WIS!
pleasure lo review. Thoroughly recom-
mended •
Micro User Dec 83
presented with a well laid out editing
mode, with which yoij enter the notes.
The Music Editor system aKows creative
use ot the Seeb's sound caoabiiiies. *
Acorn User April 84
Disc or Tape OS 1 .0 and above £9.00 incl. vat
Please enclose cash wfth order or an official order form.
OepL A 1 2 Collegiate Crescent Sheffield SI 2BA
(0742) 682321
OUIXIEARN
The System That's An Education
In Itself
COMPUTER BASED AUTHORING
If you are involved in teaching, wfiether in school or
industry whatever your subject then QUIXLEARN will
interest you. No need to search for ready-made
educational software. QUIXLEARN now enables you the
teacher to design and write teaching material.
You need have no programming experience. QUIXLEARN
is easy to master but with powerful facilities.
Construct lessons containing text and pictures in colour us-
ing TELETEXT characters or your own set of 128 graphics
characters. Include questions for the student to answer —
you decide how the lesson proceeds. Link a lesson to
cassette tape for simultaneous audio instruction. Set
up your own libraries of text and pictures for use in dif-
ferent lessons. Ideal for preparing lectures, training
courses, advertising material and demonstrations.
Designed to be used with the
BBC Model 'B' {OSI.O) and disks. (5%")
QUIXLEARN is supplied on disk, with audio cassette, and
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tain a lesson which will teach you how to use the system.
Price £75 Unci. VAT + P&Pl
State 40 or 80-track DISK DRIVE
Payment with order to:
OUIXTOR LIMITED, 7 HASLEMERE AVENUE,
HALE BARNS, WA15 OAU.
QUIXLEARN was developed as part of an Open Tech project.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
brandies out
to offer the best value
in monitors & printers
Philips 12" Green V200
Dot Matrix Printers
Epson RX80/FT £269.00
80 cps with friction & tractor feed,
A reliable printer competitively priced.
Epson FX80 £339.00
Canon PW 1080 A £339.00
160 cps with near letter quality printing
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Cosmos £209.00
Daisy wheel Printers
Juki 6100 £375.00
Epson DXlOO £450.00*
SAN PLE 2000 £299.00
* Previously £499 ,00 Limited Stock
1 ^ metre length printer leads for BBC Micro £8.00 ^
All prices include VAT . >^Vt
Please add £8.00 for carriage. /^ V^
We also stock other computer peripherals, accessories and ^4}^^^'
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Colour Monitors
Microvitec standard 1431 £199.95
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Philips 14" TV/monitor £235.00
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Monochrome Monitors
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
119
HACKERS!
SEE US AT
fhe2ricJ
Official
Acorn Uti(_?r
HERE, NOW, AN ADVANCED MODEM
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• AUTO ANSWER - software monitoring facilities give automatic mode selection
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• OPERATING SOFTWARE in ROM gives 12 new 0,S. commands for easy control
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• POWERED FROM BBC MICRO - splitter available for use with discs if required
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• INCLUDES ALLCONNECTING LEADS
THERE ISONLYONECHOICE
CD
ffiS
OLYMPIA
16-19 AUGUST
1984
LOCO SYSTEMS, PO BOX 9 . TWICKENHAM, MIDDX.
Please send me , SCM- 1 00 software controlled modems di
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I enclose a cheque/PO order for £
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Please send me further details (enclose S.A.E)
Name-
made
Address-
please allow 28 days for delivery
piTomic
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A book containing 23 fully explained machine
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DATA SORTS • MODE 4 CHAR ACTE RS«
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EXPLORING ADVENTURES ON THE BBC MODEL B
by Peier Gerraxd £6. 95
This is a complete look at the (abulous world of Adventure Games for the BBC
Computer, Staiting with an introduction to advertuies, and iheir early history,
it takes you gently through the basic programming necessary on the BBC
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Inputting information, room mapping, movement, vocabulary - everything
required to write an adventure game is explored in detail. There follow a
number of adventure scenarios, just to get you started, and finally ihree
complete listings written specialty for the BBC, which will send you off into
wonderful worlds where almost anything can happen.
The three games listed in this book are available on one cassette.
BBC PROGRAMS 1
Edited by Nick Hampshire
This book provides you with a range of useful and exciting programs tor the
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The games include an exciting version of Star Trek, a full length advenmre
game, Space Invaders, Battleships, Space Blaster, Brick Basher, and many
Others, Among the functional programs is a personal information retneval
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IS a basic book for every user of the BBC Micro.
Written by Carl Graham and edited by Nick Hampshire, publisher of
Commodore Computing International. £6.95
Wnte in for a catalogue.
DUCKWORTH
The Old Piano Factory, 43 Gloucester Crescent, London NW 1 7DY
Tel: 01-485 3484
120
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Replacing your cassette with a disk drive means data access
in seconds! VIGLEN TEACS unUke others have been specially
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TEAC 55 Slimline Drives
When otdeiirg Dual Dnves, please
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•Utilities disk ircludes 13 useful utilities ^, «, - -,n
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ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
121
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For DualTEC drives the price is
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All disc drives complete with Professional
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yd
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y0
122
A CORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
PHILIPS 14"
COLOUR
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ACORN USER SEPTEfVlBER 1984
123
ATOM
I
SMART OPERATORS
Barry Pickles clears up the '?' and '!' confusion
A LETTER from reader Simon
Fernie of London NW2 made me
recall my first encounters with
Acorn's Basic, and reminded me that
among the most confusing things for a
newcomer are the indirection oper-
ators-query (?) and pling (!). Matters
are not helped by their description in
the various manuals. '?' is described as
'a binary and unary operator, giving
eight-bit indirection'. This kind of com-
puterspeai< seems designed to induce
panic in the hearts of even experienced
hackers but, once you get used to it you
begin to appreciate the simple logic.
OK. let's try and make some sense of it
all.
Microsoft-type Basics have peek and
poke. Peek allows you to examine the
contents of a byte, while poke allows
you to alter the contents. Those
machines that think they are clever
also have deek and doke, which peek
and poke two consecutive bytes. As we
shall see. all three Acorn computers go
one better but, before reading the next
paragraph. I suggest you get hold of
something solid!
The '?' and '!' operators of both Atom
and BBC Basics are derived from BCPL
see Acorn User, April 1983) and are
really a very efficient way of indirectly
addressing sections of memory. The '?'
operator works on single bytes (eight
bits), while the '!' operator works on
four bytes at a time (four bytes are
known as a 'word', hence its definition
'word indirection').
Both *?' and "!' can perform either a
peek or a poke, depending upon the
context. (I did warn you!). If the oper-
ators are on the right-hand side of an
expression, they are always taken to
mean peek. The same applies to con-
ditionals and connectives (IF, AND and
OR). On the left-hand side of an ex-
pression, the operators are taken to
mean poke. Thus, A^ 732768 really
means in Microsoft Basic A ^ PEEK
(32768) and ?A-32 would be POKE
A,32, while ?A- ?B translates as POKE
A,(PEEK(B)). It is absolutely vital that
you understand this, or the rest of the
article won't make any sense. Read this
paragraph again if you're unsure -
suckyourthumb if it helps!
Right, now we've got the basics out of
the way, let's deal with the 'indirection'
bit. String variables can be of indeter-
minate length, so they are normally
stored after the program text. To keep
track of them, the base address (start)
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
5REM: byte indirection
10DIMA32; PRINT«12;@=0; DO
20INPUT"TYPE YOUR NAME AND PRESS return"*A
30IF LENA>32 PRINfTDO LONG TRY AGAIN"'
40UNTIL LENA<=32
49REM! get vector for *A
50C=?tt33D»256+?#322
60PRINT"*A IS NOW STORED AND READS: " 'tA ' '
70PRINT"ITS LENGTH IS "LENA" CHARACTERS'"'
80PRINT"IT IS STORED FROH LOCATION »"8<C''
90G0SUBp
lOOPRINT'-STGRflGE IS AS FOLLOWS:"'
llOGOSUBh
120X=0; DO
130PRINT" #"&C+X"
140IF A?X=32 PRINT*a"<SP> " j GDTDa
150IF A?X=13 PRINT*B"<CR>" 'jGOTDb
160PRINT*(A2X) "
170aP. "AT-X'
I79REM: format
I80bX=X+l5 IF XX10=0 GOSUBp; GQSUBh
190UNTIL A?(X-1)=13
200PRINT"END OF *A - NEXT STRING WOULD BE"
210PR1NT"ST0RED FROH *"S(C+X-
220@=e;END
229REM: page 8* header
230pPRINT"PRESS return TO CONTINUE"'
240LlSTttFFE3; PRINT*12; RETURN
250hPRINT"lacation character el ement "'; RETURN
Listing 1. Provides a graphic representation of siring storage
of the actual stored string is allocated
to the string pointer storage area, in
block-zero memory. Thus, for a vari-
able called $A, the A actually holds a
pointer to where the string really is-
this is known as 'vectoring'. A string is
a series of characters ending in a car-
riage return (//OD) so, to find SA, the
Atom looks up the vector and then
prints everything from that address as
an ASCII character, until it finds a car-
riage return.
Let's look at a typical example.
Imagine we have stored at /v'3000 a
string, reading 'THIS IS AN EXAMPLE'.
Now, if you used the ASCII dump pro-
gram given in June's Atom Forum to
look at that part of the memory, you
would see the following display:
3000: THIS IS
3008: A N E X A M P
3010: LEOD
If you wanted to find the Nth character
of this string, the formula would be
?i/(3000 + N-1) - the first character
would be ?//{3000 + 0). the fourth
character 7^(3000 + 3), and so on. This
translates in Atom or BBC Basic to
N7//3000 or ^3000?N - it doesn't matter
which way round you put iL Likewise, if
you refer to $A instead of 5^3000, you
would say A?N (or N?A). This is known
as 'string indirection'.
'Byte indirection' is really the same
thing, but works on an array of
numbers, whose values are less than
256 - see page 53 of the Atom manual -
and these are commonly used for
simple look-up tables.
To help you understand further, list-
ing 1 provides a graphic representation
of string storage. Once you understand
indirection, the Atom's string manipu-
lation routines become much clearer
and you'll begin to appreciate why I
believe them to represent a more logi-
cal approach than Microsoft's and BBC
Basic'sLEFTJ. RIGHTS and MID$-A?N
is much simpler to understand than
MID$(AS,N,1).
Arrays of strings are handled in
much the same way, but here the base
address of the string is held in the array
element. It is placed there using a
'dummy' string variable and assigning
this with a statement of the form:
AA(N) = A, where AA is the array, N the
element and A the dummy variable.
Once assigned, you can forget the
dummy and use indirection on the
array element as if it were a normal
string (ie, $AA(N) ) - see page 62 of the
Atom manual for an example. Once
you've mastered this, string sorts
become much less of a problem, since
you treat them as numeric sorts, using
page 130 ►
Cartridge System
that does not
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Why risk damage to your BBC micro
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O Low, low power consumption
unlike other systems.
O Saves on memory.
O Price for complete kit including
one cartridge only £19,95 inc. VAT.
Q Extra ROM cartridges £27.75
for five, £49.50 for ten cartridges
and single cartridges £6.95 each.
Dealer enquiries welcome.
.^"^
terv
Unit 7 Trumpers Way
•a
Harwell W7 2QA ^ <r ,-
Tel: (01)843 9903 > <^ v^®
^^ ,<?■
^.'
-Q
.9S-
^ ^
^\^^
a .<<?
> -P- o^ r>° ^ .^^ .^°
^ ^ vO*^ cf* V' V® ..^ ^o'
/ 9°\^ sf <;N® v*5 O-^' op'
Were on the
MOVE
To Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 6EX
Telephone: (0442) 63933
On the 1st August 1984
_
Computer Concepts are expanding and require machine code programmers
with experience ofZ80/6502 processors.
For further details of vacancies write to:
The Manager
Computer Concepts
Gaddesden Place
Hemel Hempstead
HERTS HP2 6EX
126
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
AS PROMISED in last month's Atom
Forum, here are screen dump routines
for the Seikosha and Centronics 737/
739 printers (listings 1 and 2).
995REM: SCREEN DUMP FOR
996REM: CENTRONICS 737/9
997REM: by Barry Pickles
99SREH: (c)ACORN USER 1984
999
1000dP.$21S2$27$37?48'
1010 A=160: S=32
1020 F.N=0 TO 1740 S.192
1030 F.J^O TO 31;M=128
1040 F.K=0 TO 7
1050 X=#8aOO+N+J;D=32;P=l
1060 F.L=0 TO A S.S
107 IF{X?LfiM); D=D+P
1080 P=P+P;N.L
1090 P.$D:M=M/2;N.K
1100 N.J;P. ' :N.N
1110 P.S27S19$3S6:R.
Listing 1 . Centronics 737/9 screen dump
While we are on the subject of
printers, David Legg of South Godstone
has supplied a simple but effective text
processor (listing 3, yellow page xvi).
which earns him C20. It was written for
the Base-2 printer, and lines 136 and
137 select double and single spacing
respectively, Likewise, line 345 selects
elongated print. The appropriate code
sequences for your printer should re-
place those in the above lines. Instruc-
tions are simple:
On running the program the menu is
printed. Newtext is entered by typing 1.
Tfie computer will then ask for the
required line length ('Enter number of
characters per line'). The next question
is Draft? This is specific for the Base-2
printer and so can be omitted. {On the
Base-2 it will double-space.)
When all the questions have been
answered an INPUT question mark will
appear. Up to 64 characters may be
entered. The program consolidates the
text printing. Pressing RETURN enters
the string and offers a new question
mark. When a new line or paragraph is
required type in T (this will be omitted
during printing). Note that lines 285 and
345 are specific for Base-2 printers. On
entering T elongated letters are
printed. To return to the menu enter
MNU on a new line then press RETURN.
I
ATOM FORUM
Barry Pickles starts you off with
printer clumps and readers' gems
include routines for single
stepping and a FILL command
LISTTEXT-The text is listed line by
line by typing RETURN.
LIST TEXT + NO'S - The text is again
listed by typing RETURN but also
allows for alteration. Each line is
printed with its line number. By typing
A at the first query and pressing
RETURN a new altered line can be
entered. The new line is then printed
out, so allowing two bites of the cherry.
The remaining functions are self-
explanatory. On PRINT TEXT there is a
delay while the text is being justified.
When loading from tape the normal
requirement of waiting for the 'Leader'
musttakeplace.
Single-Stepping
with VIA fitted
THIS submission from Andrew Luck,
who wins CIO, describes a means of
single-stepping through a machine
code program on an Atom equipped
with a VIA (listing 4, page xvi). Link 2
must be fitted to enable interrupts from
the VIA,
Timer 1 of the VIA is used in the one-
shot mode to generate an interrupt
after a set length of time. As the 6502
5REH:
6REM:
7REM:
3REM:
10 DIM
20 IN."
30 F.N=
40. P. $2
50 P=Q;
60:LL0
70
80
90
100
110
120:LL1
130
140
150
160
170
180
190:LL2
200:LL3
210
220
230
SCREEN DUMP FOR
SEIKOSHA PRINTERS
by Barry Pickles
(c) ACORN USER '84
LLlO; Z=#FEFB
ASSEMBLE FROM"Q
TO 10;LLN=Q:N.
1;F.N=0 TO 1
[
LDA@2:JSR Z;LDA@8
JSR Z:LDA@#7F
STA#8A;STA#81
LDA@#E0:STA#80
LDA@0;STA#8D
LDX@l;STX#aB
LDYeO;STY#B9
LDA@27:JSR Z
LDA@16;JSR Z:LDA(aO
JSR Z:LDA@S70; JSRZ
LDA#B002;ORA@8
STA#B002;LDA@#7F
AND#aA; JSR#FF10
LDX@7:CLC
LDA(#80) ,•£
STA#B1,X;TYA
ADC@32:TAY;DEX
BNE LL3;LDYf?8
finishes executing the current instruc-
tion before responding to the interrupt,
the timer must be set to interrupt the
program during the next instruction.
This causes the 6502 to branch to the
interrupt service routine to display the
contents of the registers. The target
program must not contain SEl or BRK
instructions as these would disable the
single-step routine.
The set-up routine at KKO is called
instead of the target routine and this
sets up the timer and clears the inter-
rupt disable flag before executing an
indirect jump to the target program,
line 520. The IRQ vector at /?204, //205 is
set to point at the single step interrupt
handler. When an interrupt occurs, the
Atom stacks the accumulator before
jumping to the interrupt routine. The
interrupt routine displays the program
counter, the contents of the status
register and the A, X and Y registers.
Afterwaitingforakeypress, the timer is
set running again and a return is made
Invented a routine or discovered a
hardware modification for the Atom?
Here's a chance to show your orig-
inality and win some cash. Send your
idea to: Atom Forum. Acorn tjser, Red-
wood Publishing, 68 Long Acre,
London WC2 9JH.
240:LL4 LDX@7
250:LL5 ASL#81 ,X : RORA; DEX
260 BNE LL5;R0RA;0RA#aB
270 AND#8A; JSR#FF10;DEY
280 BNE LL4;INC#89
290 LDY#89;CPY@32
300 BNE L[.2;LDA@0
310 STA#8B;LDA@#7F
320 AND#8A;JSR Z
330 LDA#B002;AND@#F7
340 STA#B002:LDA@13
350 JSR Z:LDA@224:CLC
360 ADC#80:STA#80;LDA(ao
370 ADC#81;STA#81
380 INC#8D;LDA#8D
390 CMP@27;BMI LL6
400 BNE LL7
410 LDA@63;STA#aA
420 LDA@32;STA#8B
430:LL6 JMP LLl
440:LL7 LDA@15;JSR Z
450 LDA@3;JSR Z;RTS;];N
460|a = 0:P. "*SAVE ""SCRNDUMP"
470P.&Q" "&P'
480P."LINK #"&LLO" TO USE"'
490END
■^
Listing 2. Seikoslia printers screen dump
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Draw with the BBC micro
and show the true potential of your machine
3S> 496
D •"
Fill shapes in one of 23 colours (Mode I)
Draw points, lines, rectangles ellipses and circles
Smooth curves
Wire frame diagrams
Hidden line removal
Draw in perspective
Measure scaled distances
Ekta sketch lines, Half tone facility
Mirror images
Repeat images. SS. enlarged, reduced, stretched
Actual colour displayed
Store up to 10 ellipses or circles in memory
Redraw any one of these at cursor position
Change any actual colour for one of 8 others
Clear screen, load screerx save screen
Print characters or numt^rs at any pixel point
Enor messages for incon-ect input
Fully comprehensive manual
"■ This programme has been purpose designed by professional Graphic Designers
^^x^ for simplicity and ease of use, and is undoubtedly the most versatile drawing
^^ H programme on the market at this time. There is no need to input any numerical
^^^i^W data, as all judgements are made visually. The BBC Micro is the finest drawing
designs machine in its price range. Find out what it can do.
Tf>0 A, B Designsdrawingprogrammecostsor>lyE36fof over 70 functions (model B), New AB2 Program, available on disc (price C61) and cassette
(price £51). When ordering send Gheque/PO artd VAT at 15%. Please include phone no. with all correspondence. For further information send
SAEand phone no. to A. B. Designs. 81 Sutton Common Road, Sutton, Surrey. 01.644 6643 (closed all day Thursday).
'ROM/RAM
EXPANSION
BOARD
THE ULTIMATE ROM/RAM
EXPANSION SYSTEM FOR
THE BBC MICRO
* 1 2 extra ROM sockets complement
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* Four of these sockets can support
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maximum RAM).
* The Model 2 board allows switching
between multiples of 2K, 4K, 8K or
16K ROM/RAM
* Compatible with most other add-ons
including TORCH. 2nd processors.
* NO soldering, plug-in design,
* Fits easily inside BBC case.
* Plugs into CPU socket via short
flexible connector,
* Improved plug design allows the
IVtodel 2 board to connect securely to
any type of BBC CPU socket with no
harm to micro or board.
* Board IS held in place by sturdy
supports
* Full instructions provided.
* Additional features include the ability to transfer paged firmware to disc, and then
load back into sideways RAM for future use - giving you no limit to the number
of effective ROMs accessible!
All our prices are inclusive of VAT unless specified olherwise
Postaga and Packing: Please add £1 for small Hems (ROM/ RAM Boards, soflware, etc.)
C2 50 lor medium items (disc dtives, BBC Computers)
£10 for larger Hems (monitots. ptiniets, etc.)
(PosialfalBsapplvwithm U K only Please telephone foi eiiport rales)
Access/ Barclaycard Telephone oiders welcome
SIR COMPUTERS LTD, 91 Whitchurch Road, Cardiff CF4
SIR BUSINESS&COMMUIMICATIONS
We announce our appointment as TORCH UNICORN
Dealers, at a time when Acorn & TORCH are joining
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THE TORCH UNICORN RANGE:
CP/M compatible extensions to the BBC
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SOFTWARE (see below) £299 + VAT
ZDP 240; Z80 Disc Pack comprising ZEP 1 00, 2 - 400K
floppy disc drive. FREE SOFTWARE (see below) £799
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HDP 240: As ZDP 240 but with one 400K drive replaced by
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HDP 68K: As HDP 240 but with twin (Z80B and 68000)
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around £2,495 + VAT
THE UNICORN: Top of the range The TORCH UNICORN
comprises HDP 68K plus FULL UNIX III Operating System
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TORCH C-500: Complete self-contained unit (NO BBC
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FREE SOFTWARE: BBC BASIC (Z80) [allowing almost
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DISC DRIVES We have a diveise range of lutes
Single 1 0OK . NOW f 1 39 00 cuirenily in slock including ROM
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Juki 6100 £389 00
ACORN BBC SECOND PROCESSORS
6502 2nd Processor . E1 99 00 Z80 2nd Processor 1:299 00
3JP. Telephone: Cardiff (0222) 621813
128
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
ATOM FORUM
to the target program.
Lines 70-160 set up the display, lines
180-200 display PC, lines 210-260 dis-
play P, and lines 270-290 display A, X
andY.
If the nnachine code is relocated, the
address in line 40 of part 2 should be set
to the end address of the m/c-f- 1. The
address in line 50 should be set to the
value ofKKO.
Part 1 should be entered and run.
Part 2 should then be entered in any
convenient text space except ^2800 and
then run. The target routine should
already be resident.
Command for clearing,
filling and inverting
The graphics commands in AtomBasic
are fairly comprehensive, says Mark
Bryson of Yealand Redmayne. Lanca-
shire, in that they allow the use of
absolute or relative plotting co-ordi-
nates with clear, set or invert options in
both point and line drawing, as well as
move operations- Yet one facility often
found on other machines that is not pro-
vided is the FILL area' command.
As listed the routine (listing 5) works
properly only in the highest resolution
graphics mode (CLEAR4}, the reason
23 00
88
AD
"-!''l
'■I
hU
2D
-'
t:(.)
2S03
1
60
AD
J _'
3
ELI
\li
:.!
2810
90
F7
AO
84
AE
34
AF
2818
fi^
EF
ED
23
:'
90
fcA
A2
2820
■^
4A
66
AF
CA
DO
FA
■?
2S2SI
;-.'0
8='
A*?
AD
33
"r
48
4A
2830
4fl
4A
"i
AF
85
A3
68
2'^
213.38
7
AA
ES
93
38
6A
LA
DO
2S40
FP
R?;
AD
3S
A9
BF
ED
35
2843
3
EO
1
eg.
A2
;^;
4A
66
2350
ftE
i:a
DO
FA
9
SO
85
At
2858
An
2D
3
48
4A
4A
4A
5
2860
AE
'-:S
AA
68
29
7
AA
E8
2368
■53
38
6A
CA
DO
FE
A
49
2870
FF
!E!5
AC
38
A5
A8
E5
AA
2878
35
AE
A 5
A*=>
E5
AB
A2
5
2S80
4A
6t
AE
CA
DO
FA
A 6
At
2888
E3
36
AE
86
AF
AD
2A
3
2890
29
7F
85
^■E
■?3
2C
2A
3
2398
10
2f
■i
AA
4T'
FF
43
A 5
2SA0
AA
45
A8
29
IF
DO
8
AS
28fiS
AC
t ,"
AD
85
AC
34
AS-
A 5
28B0
AA
fiS
5F
A5
AE;
85
60
18
2311-18
68
10
1
3'B
2A
43
2C
2
2 SCO
EO
30
FD
25
AC
20
20
F7
2SC8
18
A5
5F
6'5
20
85
5F
A5
28D0
AO
fi.9
a
85
60
C6
AE
DO
sp-zia-
DF
A5
fl'^
DO
-7
68
60
Av
28E0
FF
R5
AC
E6
AA
A5
AF
flS
2SE8
AE
2'^
1
FO
B2
13
68
10
28F0
1
38
2A
48
DO
A 9
(J
being that enabling it to take account of
the different resolutions makes the
code significantly longer and more
complicated, and anyway AtomBasic is
usually fast enough at low resolution.
Information on how to use the point-
plotting routine in ROM is given in the
Atom manual (page 88). This routine
plots points one at a time-although it
does so rather quickly! The 'fill' routine
works by calculating the changes to
eight points (pixels) at once and then it
uses part of the point plotting routine in
ROM to actually put them on the
screen. Incidentally, no screen inter-
ference will be seen during a 'fill',
which is not the case when filling using
plot or draw.
To make the programming easier
Mark decided to dedicate certain vari-
ables to be used by the routine, rather
than allow any to be used. Other vari-
ables could be used providing you alter
the assembler program accordingly; in
fact, any free bytes could be used,
although this may mean you will find it
less simple to assign values to the vari-
ables from Basic. Also if you use free
locations in zero page RAM the relative
jumps in the assembler will need to be
reduced in size accordingly (or the
code "padded out' with NOPs).
The routine allows clearing, filling
and inverting of all points in any rec-
tangle, ranging in size from a single
100P=£2300
105P. *2l5 [
llONchec^ P-=L and T>=E
1153EC
120LDA£:333iSEC£:32D; BC3P-.-35 RTi:
1 25LDA£335; SBC£323 : PCCP- '''
1 S^LDVgOfSTVlAEjS-TYtAF
140\calt: R,lp byte
\ 45LDAei'='MSBC£323!E'CCP-20
150LDi<@3
ISSLSRAi POPtAF; DE*;; SMEP-4
1600RA'5£80iSTA£A9 high byte
165LDA£333iPHA
170L3RA;L3PA;LSRA
1750FA£AF!3TA£:A8 lo-.t byte
1 80PL A : AND@7 ; Tfi V j I NX ; TYA
1853EC; PORA; DEX ; BNEP- 'i
\ ■vO'=;TA£AD
195vc3'lc L,T byte
200 SEC
205LDA@191 : SBC£335; DCSP+3
210TYA:LDXi?3
215L3RA;P0P£AE;DEX;ENEP-4
2200PA@£30; STA£AB hi gh byte
;;25LDA£52D!PHA
230LSfi'A;L3PA;LSRA
2350PA£AE;STA£AA low byte
240PLA: AND'?"' ! TAX ; INX : TYA
2453EC5 PnPi^l DEi- ; BMEP-35 ASLA
250e0'='«555? 8TA£AC
255N':ali: .no horis. Hnacs
260SEC
265LDA£AS; S&C£AA; STACAE
270LDA£A'^'; SBC£AB; LDX@5
275LSPA; POP£AE; DEX ; BNEP- 4
280LDX £ AE ; I NX : STX £AE ; 3TX £AF
285LDA£32A; ANb@127; STA£5E
290TVA!BIT£:-i2A;BPLP+4
295CiPAIIl'^0;E0Re255;PHA
300V beg 1 n ii©r.i,i .;o 1 Mmn
305LDA£AA; E0P£A8? ftNDe31
310BNEP+10
315LDA£A': ; AND£AD; 3TA£AC
3203TYtA9 i^iniBh flag
325LDA£AA; STA£5F
point (ie one pixel) to the whole screen.
It uses but does not corrupt the least
significant bytes of the variables L. T, R,
B and I. These define the X and Y co-
ordinates of the Left, Top (L. T) and
Right, Bottom (R, B) corners of the rec-
tangle to be filled, while I determines
the effect produced.
There are six possibilities. Assigning
to I a value of zero (or 3 to 127 inclusive)
means that all points in the specified
rectangle will be cleared, 1 sets and 2
inverts all points. By ORing these
values of 1 with 128 a sort of half-inten-
sity fill is possible. For example, 1^
2H128 (equivalent to 1-130) gives a
half-intensity inversion of the defined
rectangle. The half-intensity options
work by affecting alternate points only.
the remaining ones being left un-
changed.
The code produced is less than 250
bytes long, which means that it fits
neatly into the floating-point workspace
at /^2800, However it is re-locatable
(even when assembled) as it contains
no 'jump' instructions other than to an
address in ROM, and so can be
*LOADed to any position in RAM.
Two demonstration programs are in-
cluded. These are called by typing
6.1000 or 6.2000. Finally, the routine in-
cluded delays to avoid screen noise. If
Listing 5. Mark Bryson's FILL routine
330LDAeAB; STA£t.O
335\ plot one byte
340CLC; PLA; BPLP+3; SEC
345P0LAJPHA
350E1T£E002; BMIP-3
-3^5AND£fiC-, .J8P£:F720! CLC
360LDA£5Fi ADCe32:8TA£5F
365LDA£60; ADC@0 ; 3TA£60
370DEC£AE;ENEP-::l
375LDAtA9;BNEP4-4;PLft; PTS
380LDA@255; STA£AC: INC£AA
3S5LDA£AF ; ST A£AE ; AND© 1
.3'5'0EECiF'-76
395CLC ; PLA; BPLP + 3; SEC
400R0LA;PHA;
405BNEP-85
4io:
415P. =E&
■^'99PEM random rectangle?
lOO0(:=0
lOlODO CLEAP4
1020 KjpK: 128
1030 "^^OP .J=0 TO 99
1040 I=A. P. ■/.3+K
1050 L=A. P. 7.128
1060 P=A. P. ■/.128+-L
1070 E=A. R. 7.96
1080 T=A. p. y.96+B
1C190 LIWK£2300
1100 NEXT .J
lllOUNTIL
1 120END
1,9'^9PEM an imstion
2000CLEAR4 ? B= 1 50 ; T=B+3 ; I =-J
2010DD L,=L-2;P=L+S
2030 LINK£2800!LINK£2300
20401-tNTIL
2050END
mi
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
ATOM FORUM
I
lOREM ACORN
?-ORE\'] liADE IN HOLLAND BY:
"OREM ANDRE DE BRUIN
4i:>R'EM
50 D I MAA 1 00 . BE 1 00 . CC 1 00 , DD 1 00
60 CLEARS
80 FOR D= TO 3
90 K>"0!L=l2E
100 IF0=0jX=75jS=175;-,:S-(2#PI/13) !R=6;V=4;
F=0!H=50
11.0 IFCI-l; X=6SiS-irrl5:7.S^«(2*FI/15) iRi-5;Vi-'lj
F-1;H=60
120 1FO=2;X = 120 ; G=134; 7.S=1 ; R=2; V=2: F=0: H=0
130 IF D=3;X=0;B^-14!-/.S=^(2*PI)/?;R^^5;V--==1;F=0;
H=0!L=lBf:i
140 FOR J = 1 TG R
i:f50 El=y-XsGaSUB a X = X+ y,<H/R);a=S- -/.(H/R)
] 60 N£X V J
170 NEXT G
IBO X"0;Y=0
I 90END
200(:
210 IF0==0iy= ■'',<-0.04*< (X-125) * lX-125) ) +190 >
220 IFO«l;Y=y.( ( 4/3A0) * < (X-125) * {X -125) ) ) -v-4(:i
230 IF0=2;IFJ=liy=40
240 IF0=2; IF,J=2;Y=20
250 IFD=3s Y=-/. < (- 10/41 15) #< (L-125) #(L-125) )+19) ;
L=L-20;B=S-1
260 T"( (B/2)+L) ;U-Y; 7.R=0;Z=0
270O
2B0 P=7.< C0SV.fi1KB/2)+L>i Q=y. (BINV.R* ( (B/2) /V) +Y)
290 MOVE T,U!PLGr5,F,Dj r-P;IJ=Q
300 IF Ky.2 =0 THEN AAZ=PiiBBZ=Q
310 IF K7.2 <>0 THEN CC:Z=P; DD2=Q
320 IFK=0 THEN GOTO r
330 IF 0=1 GOSUB n
340 MOVE AAZ.BBZsPL0T5.CCZ,DDZ
350r '/.R^'/.R+'/.S; Z=Zh-1
360 FIF */.R-r (2«PI+0. 1) ;G0T0 o
370 AAZ--=AAl!BB7=BEU;Ci::2'=^CCl jDDZ=:DDl;K-K+l
jaORETURN
390n
400 IFKV.2=0: MOVECCZ , DDZ ! FLO FS, AA2 . BBZ ; PL0T5.
CC(Z+1) ,DD(Z+1)
410 IFKX2< >0; MDVEAAZ, BBZ; PLOTS, CCZ . DDZ ; PL0T5,
AA(ZH-l) ,BB(2 + 1)
4 20 RETURN
Listing 6. Wire-frame acorn, wrougiit by Andre de Bruin of the Nettieriands
this doesn't bother you, you can speed
it up considerably by rewriting two
tines as follows:
105P.S21;[:LDA//334: STA //80
350LDY //80;DEX; BNE P - 1
Marlt's reward for Atomfill is £20.
Dutch acorn
THE ACORN graphics routine (listing 6)
is courtesy of Andre de Bruin of the
Netherlands. It would convert easily to
the Beeb if the X and Y co-ordinates are
scaled up.
SMART OPERATORS
5REf1: word indirection
10 PRINT*i2; @=1; INPUT"HEX NUMBER
20 PRINT-WORD IS DESIGNATED AS !fl"
30 PRINT" !A=#"8(A'
40 PRINT" IT IS STORED AS FOLLOWS:"
50 FOR N=l TO 4
60 PRINT"STEP "N" "j B=A8<ttFF
70 A= ( (Aa<#FFFFFFOO> /256?.#FFFFFF)
80 PRINT"A7"<N-1>"=#"S.B" A=tt"&A'
90 NEXT; END
Listing 2. How ttie interpreter handles a sequence of numbers
< page 124
the ASCII value of the Nth character
{obtained by for example A?N)-see
June's Acorn Userlor some Basic sort-
ing techniques.
Now let's return to simple numeric
arrays and let's suppose that you want
to store four {or more) consecutive
numbers, from ^^^3000 onwards. You
could write:
A = itSOOO; A?0 - 255; A?1 - 254;
A?2 = 253;A?3-252
That's not only a lot of typing, it uses 45
bytes of program space (including line
numbers and delimiters). If we convert
each number to hex format, we can now
write:
A - ^3000; A!0 - ^FCFDFEFF
This only uses 22 bytes and, what's
more, it executes faster than the first
method (almost four times faster). The
more observant among you will have
noticed that, in the conversion, the
order of the numbers has become
reversed. You must remember this
when using word indirection. To see
why this should be. listing 2 emulates
the way the interpreter handles this
statement. Word indirection is a fast
and compact way of setting up long
tables (eg for character generation). To
illustrate its usefulness, try the follow-
ing on the Atom, which clears a mode 4
screen to white:
F,N - ,^8000 TO //9800 S.4; !N - - 1 ; N.
Then compare the speed with a similar
routine, using the ? operator:
F.N - //BOOO TO ^9800; ?N = ^FF; N,
You may have noticed that, instead of
writing N!0 and N?0, we used !A and ?A,
The Atom assumes the zero if no other
subscript is given. You should also note
that writing values using '!' always
works on four bytes. If you use less, eg,
!A^,^FF3B, Atom will assume leading
zeros and store it as 3BFF000O,
I hope I've now sorted out some of
the confusion. These two operators are
really powerful, once you get used to
them, and Acorn must obviously agree,
since it has been carried over into BBC
Basic.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
TECHNICAL EDITOR
£8000 to £14000
BEEBUG Publications Ltd. require a Technical Editor to take an important
and responsible role in a team producing two computer magazines, for the
Acorn Electron and BBC microcomputers. Previous experience with either of
these machines is highly desirable together with the ability to write in a
clear and interesting style.
The successful candidate will probably have a number of years experience
either in microcomputing or in journalism. If you think that you have the
right skills and experience to undertake this demanding and interesting job
then write to:
BEEBUG Publications Ltd., Personnel Department, P.O. BOX 50, St. Albans, Herts,
enclosing a curriculm vitae, and samples of your own work.
StarBASE...
a new database
StarBASE...
for theBBC
Will now mail merge with Wordwise or View
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• Menu Driven throughout
• True random access - will locate a single record m under 2 seconds
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• File size is the capacity ol a single disc (double sided if applicable)
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• Maximumnumber of fields 69.
• Maximum number of characters in a field 255 (subject to an overall
maximum of 920 in a record).
• Up to 4096 records,
• Records are displayed and input on a "Card Screen" principle. Layout ot
fields and headings are built entirely by the user by "Painting" on ttie
screen (colour can be used).
• Direct and rapid entry of data into all or selected fields.
• Search criteria rnclude =,<>,>,<, and a wildcard "anywhere m the
field'.
• Unlimited and rapid sequential searching and selecting.
• All or selected records can be sorted to a depth of 5 fields, each in
ascending or descending order, using the super-fast Shell-Metzner
routine.
• Instant print or display review of file, giving breakdown of record size,
number of records possible and space used, etc.
• Address and label printing (up to 8 across the page)
• Selected whole or part field-content printing, with left and right
justification, tabbing, and embedded printer control codes possible.
Can be mixed with text for invoices and form letters etc.
• Can be configured for any printer {including£ character definition).
• Continuous or paged pnntout with page heading and pause at each
page end, with "New Page" prompt
• Repeat printing for multiple copies.
• Percentage and arithmetic operations to specified decimal placing.
• Field statistics giving totals, mean and standard deviation, variance and
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• Optional password lock.
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StarBASE meets and even exceeds professional standards found on large
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Price? Only £69.00 inc VAT (plus £1.50 p & p).
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
131
^
PRICES SENSATION ^
i Canon110:Case/CablesalllNCL£99
Canon 220: 400K (40/80 switching)
Case/Cables alllNCL £169
N.B. These are state of the Art Disc Drives; Direct Drive
. 40 track 6mms Access/80 track 3 ms Access. '
MODEL: SPECIFICA TION OF EA CH DRIVE
110 S/SIDED40TRACK10dK "
210 D/5IDED 40 TRACK 200K
220 D/SIDED 80 TRACK 400K
(40/80 TRACK SWITCHING)
All CANON 40/80 switchable disc drives feature an on-board dual-colour
LED on the front panel to show track mode selected. This is coupled with our
own unique two-stage illumination, to give a clear operating status, as follows:
40TRACKMODE: LEDGREEN
80 TRACK MODE: . LED RED
POWER ON: HALF-ILLUMINATION (GREEN OR RED)
DRIVESELECTED FULL-ILLUMINATION (GREENORRED)
Super-slim CANON drives, models 21 1 and 221 and the SANYO model 548S,
are available with their own custom-built secondary switching power supply.
This is safe, low in heat generation and excellent value for money.
The SANYO disc drive is our latest acquisition in quality Japanese products.
This is a "half-height" unit of standard dimensions.
D SC DRIVES
SLIM SANYO DISC DRIVES:
MODEL SPECIFICATION OF EACH DRIVE
548S S/SIDED 40 TRACK 100K
All inclusive price list:
This means: disc drive + case + all power & data cables + U.K. carriage + utilities disc & manual + VA.T
CANON SANYO
MODEL: 110 210 220 211 221
548S
£154
Fomiatted Capacity
per drive on BBC Micro:
100k
200k
400k
200k
400k
Single Drive & Case:
£99
£139
£169
£179
£236
Single Drive
&Case/R Supply:
£124
£164
£194
£209
£266
Dual Drive & Case:
£204
£274
£314
£329
£437
Dual Drive
&Case/P. Supply:
£229
£299
£339
£359
£467
£184
£284
£314
Support:
Warranty: All disc drives sold by Chase Data Ltd. come
with a full one-year warranty on parts & labour.
Non-warranty service: As THE experts in our field we
can offer service on most makes of floppy disc drive.
Recalibration & Alignment ... £25 per unit inc. VAT
(parts extra). Phone for details: (Tel: 078438487)
Payment 131 f^^
By Post Send your remittance (cheques only please)
with your order to:
CHASE DATA LTD
RO. Box 6, Wol<ing, Surrey GU21 4PB.
By Phone: #5% (Tel: 0784 38487).
CLEARLY HE HAD ONLY ONE
KEYBOARD Esf MIND WHEN HE
DESIGNED THE HUMAN HAND
IMAGINE A KEYBOARD
... so simple to use that in under an hour
you're touch typing the entire alphabet,
numbers and punctuation.
... so effortless it needs only one hand, your
eyes never leaving the screen or the document
you're copying.
A keyboard you can hold in your palm, and
yet, so powerful, it can replace every input,
command and function key of your BBC
computer . . .
Just think how effordess it would be if you
could touch type your programs, data and text.
How you could lean back and relax; be faster
and more accurate; your mind free to think, and
your eyes to read.
IT'S CALLED QUjNKEY
And for £49.95 you'll get everything you
need — hardware and software — to use
Quinkey with your BBC computer.
HOW CAN 6 KEYS DO THE WORK OF
72?
You simply press the keys in different
combinations. Each combination represents a
character.
Quinkey has 5 keys plus a Control key, each
finger belonging to its own key — so there's no
need to hunt and peck . . . BUT . . .
mmm
a
I QHINKEY
. . . HERE'S THE MAGIC!
Look at these diagrams:
See how the hnes joining the key
combinations form the characters? For each
letter there's an instandy recognised and easily
memorised visual clue.
That's the trick — and it works!
YOU CAN TRY IT NOW!
Rest thfi fingers of your right hand on a table top.
Imagine thfi keys.
Towritean "I" you press yourThumb and Index finger
down at the same time.
Kor an "L" you press your Thumb. Index and Little
fingers.
To write " Y" you use your Thumb. Middle and Ring
fingers . . .and soon.
That's ail there is to it.
Here's what users are saying about the keyboard;
- PETER RODWELL (as Editor of -Personal Computer
World") "took me halfanhourto learn the alphabet . . .far
easier than learning to type. It's an addictive device, and I'm
starting to wonder how I ever managed without one."
-PETER WHEELER (in the 'Times Educational
Supplement") "a new user can start to touch type after one
hour's usage."
- FRANK DALE (BBC Producer- writing in 'Electronic
Times") "no other machine is so easy to use, so easy to learn,
so generally useful . .."'
NO RISK, MONEY BACK GUARANTEE.
n youre unhappy with your Quinkey just return It
within two weeks for a full and courteous refund.
ONLY £49.95 (including VAT and postage & packing}.
HERE'S WHAT YOU GET
* OneQuinkey keyboard.
* Breakthrough multi-channel interface for up to four
keyboards (plug into analogue port).
* Two new powerful software packages, PROG & WP
(described below).
* Comprehensive Quinkey manual.
"PROG'" and "WP" (free with the Quinkey package) are
utility programs written specially for the BBC.
"PROG" enables your BBC to recognise and interpret
Ihe signals from the Quinkey keyboard. It combines easily
with your application programs enabling you to use
Quinkey as a comprehensive alternative keyboard.
"WP" optimises Quinkey to work with word-
processing packages "Word wise," "View" and "Edword"-
a perfect text-writing combination.
KEYBOARD RANGE.
All BBC"B"" keyboard inputs generate from the
Quinkey, except the hard- wire key. "Break."
TECHNICAL DATA:
Loading Ifiif^lhu^fiDf). Running loiiglti:&300.
Mo /.ero-pagc locations, all ADC channels.
Inlernij)! service vector IRQ2V,correctiy chained.
TESTED COMPATIBILITY
BBCModel-B" Aconi
OS 1 .2
BASIC I or BASIC II (unless using
INKEY will) negalive argument) Acorn
nFS0.90 Acorn
View Al.4 Acornsofl
Wnrdvvisel.l? Computer Concepts
Rdword Clwyd Technics
QUjNKEY IN THE CLASSROOM.
Quinkey keyboards allow up to four children to useone
BBC computer at the same time. "QUAD" software
supplied with theEducational Pack enables children to
write simultaneously on a split screen and print out their
work separately.
(Send the coupon if you would like more information
about Ihe remarkable results that children of all agesand
abilities are hav ing with Quinkey. )
Order from your nearest BBC Acorn dealer or by
sending in the coupon below, now.
microwritera
D An assucialo company of the iidmhmUff^ Group of Componlas
31 Southampton Row. London WCIB 5H|
I To: Vector Marketing Ltd.. Denington Estate, Wellingborough, I
Norlhanls.NN8 2KL.
PLEASE SEND:
UUl . _Quinkey pack(s) (<•■ £49.95 £
002.
-Extra keyboard(s| @' £29.95
-Educational PacklsjC'^ £148.80
iQuinkey pack plus .■) extra keyhoards
and additional "QUAD" software)
postageand packing
£ 2.50
1 realise that I can return the pack(s) undamaged withjji two weeks of
receipt of order, ifl am not fully satisfied, fora complete refund.
Send more information about Quinkey in the classroom. □
! enclose a cheque made payable to:
Vector Market ing"Microwri(er Ltd" for £
Ordiibit my Visa/Access credit card No
SIGNED:
NAME:
ADDRESS:
ML! 7'84
Pleaseallow up to 28 days for delivery. Reg.no. 1374069
microwrlter
QUjNKEY
BBC COMPATIBLE
FLOPPY DISC SYSTEMS
Case to hold one drive
Ribbon cable to connect one drive to BBC Micro
Power cable to power one drive from BBC Micro
' Switcti on rear ot case to select 40 or 80 TPI operation when
AND DRIVES
using FD55E or F055F.
rxBAC
HEiGHT
FD5b SERIES ifoBlVES-
FD55
CaP^^'^loOK N;J CI80
FD56B^° 1^80 TracK. Single Si,.„,
0EUVERY.Upt0 2Baays
WARRANTY 90 days
TSRMS: Sitictly cheQue wilh order
Send to P Box 1 1 , SI'oud. Glos UK GL5 1 IN
or pfione I h rough yaur
Access or Barclay Card niirTiDer
TO OHDERt ADD CAFimAGE/PACKING/INSURAMCE AT £10 (COVERS
NtXT DAY SECUHICOR DELIVERY). THEN VAT. AT 1 5% TO TOTAL
THE ftfiOVE PRICES ARE VALID UNTIL END OF APRIL 19B4.
DIGITAL PERIPHERALS LTD.
CASE to hold two drives (complete with
blanking panel tor use stiould only one drive
be installed).
Ribbon cable to connect two drives to
B.B.C, Micro.
► Inlegral power supply tor two drives
► Switch on rear of case to select 40 or 80 TPI
operation when using FD55E or F055F.
THIS CASE CONTAINS ALL HARDWARE NECESSARY FOR TWO DRIVES.
JUST SELECT ONE OR TWO DRIVES FROM THOSE SHOWN BELOW.
IF YOU SELECT JUST ONE NOW, THE SECOND CAN JUST PLUG IN LATER.
CASES ONLY SOLD WITH DRIVES.
PRINTER AND
PLOTTER -MCP 40
• 4 colours
• Selectable 40 or 80 characters per line
• Easy to use— simple software commands
• Standard Centronics interlace— cables available
for most micros
Uses 4 '/?" plain paper r flU
hjgti resolution— over 100 steps/inch >""STOCK'
Rodney House. Church Slreel.Slfoud, Glos UK GL5 UN
Tel (04536)71387 Telex 43551
Oi/tie
Company
B diamond/oft ¥® cliQmond/oft
A better way of computing | A better way of computing
Integrated
Accounting
Business Software for the BBC microcomputer
The complete disc based package:
• Sales / Purchase / Nominal Ledgers
• Cashbook • VAT Accounting
• Full double entry system
• Trial Balance • Age Analyses
pHpHK Requires 40ord0trackdiscdrive(s)
tijjjjj and printer.
Please add VAT and send remittance
(or send for more details) to:
Diamondsoft Ltd., FREEPOST,
CheadleHulme, Cheshire, SK85YB Tel: 061 -485 8705 ,
THE DATABASE SOFTWARE FOR THE BBC
THAT GROWS WITH YOUR NEEDS
Filebase II
£A9.95
r:
\i
Operates on any format DISC or CASSETTE
Unique TURBOFILE and MAXIFILE options
HIGH CAPACITY files (up to a full disc witii the
MAXIFILE option)
Files created to USER DEFINED format
- up to 20 items per record
- each record up to 255 characters
VIEW file by easy use of cursor keys
PRINT files (optional report layouts)
Print LABELS
Powerful SEARCH features
SELECT records to view, print, count, total, change
or write a file
SORT file on any Item
Convert TURBOFILE to MAXIFILE (on disc)
Requires BBC 32K (OS 1 .0 or later). Optional disc/
printer. Supplied on cassette - loads to any format
disc.
Can be supplied on 40 track disc (please add £3]
Overseas orders please add £2.50 to cover postage.
Cheques or P.O. to Diamondsoft Ltd., FREEPOST,
Cheadle Hulme. Cheshire SK8 5YB. Tel: 061-485 8705 {24 hrs).
136
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
TOP 20
SOFTWARE
CHART
TITLE
PUBLISHER
PRICE
MICRO
_
REVIEWED
1
1
1 (-)
Aviator
Acorn soft
£14.95
(£17.95)
B
May '84
2 (1)
Fortress
Amcom £8.95 B September '84
3 (-)
Blagger
Alligata £7.95 B/E
4 (12)
Battletank
Superior £7.95 B September '84
5 (5)
Twin-Kingdom Valley
Bug-Byte £9.50 B
6 (4)
White Knight II
BBGSoft £10.00 B January '84
7 (14)
Mr Wimpey
Ocean £6.90 B
8 (3)
737 Flight Simulator
Salamander £9.95 B/E December '83
9 (-)
Football Manager
Addictive £7.95 B
10 (-)
Overdrive
Superior £7.95 B September "84
11 (2)
Snooker
Visions £7.95 B/E
12 (6)
Dare Devil Denis
Visions £7.95 B/E July '84
13 (7)
Chukkie Egg
A&F £7.95 B/E September '84
14 {-)
Lords of Time
Level 9 £9.90 B July '84
15 (13)
Hunchback
Superior £7.95 B September '84
(£11.95)
16 (re)
Killer Gorilla
Micro Power £7.95 B/E November '83
17 (10)
The Hobbit
Melbourne House £14.95 B
18 (9)
Cylon Attack
A&F £7.95 B/E April '84
19 (-)
JCB Digger
Acornsoft £9.95 B June '84
(£11.50)
20 (-)
Ghouls
Micro Power £7.95 B June '84
B = BBC E =
Electron re = re-entry Prices in brackets are for disc version
BUBBLING UNDER 1
1
1
Mr Men (Mirrorsoft)
Jet-Power Jack (Micro Power) - reviewed July '84
Guardian (Alligata)
Compiled by RAM/Computer
Sheepdog (Longman)
Confrontation (Lothlorien)
EVrM ]
ZOOM -straight up to number 1 goes Aviator,
without even observing the formality last
month of bubbling under -and we're sure
It'll stay sky high for quite a while. Just as
spectacular - because his arrival was more
sudden -is the way Roger the Dodger,
master burgler, has stolen his way Into our
chart In Blagger,
Otherwise things look quite stable, with
Fortress only just slipping from number 1,
the Twin-Kingdom Valley adventure level-
pegging wtth last month and Wftile Knigtit
defending itseil well at number 6. Flight
simulator 737\s aiso enjoying a long run.
Five more new entries, too, but at only
number 19 JCB Digger Is making a shaky
start to its progress up the list - it is, after all,
nicknamed 'JCB Judder'. And Ghouls at
number 20 isn't proving as spine-tingling as
its name suggests. Lords of Time has
warped in at number 14 and Sue Gazzard's
witty, fast and ingenious concoction
deserves to climb high.
Even out of season. Football Manager has
shot into the premier league, closely pur-
sued by Overdrive. Superior's car chase
game, though, is surely loo straightforward
to stay the distance (review page 1 57). If you
don't already know, find out In this Issue why
Cylon Attack and Chukkie Egg have been
such tenacious middle-rankers.
Bubbling Under features some almost-un-
knowns, but perhaps most interesting is one
that isn't there at all: Aadvark's Frakl The
game, named after the bubble captions its
hero produces, uses some lovely sprite
graphics centring on a caveman and his
handy yo-yo. Look out for it! (review page
155).
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
® CD g] ®MQ0©QO®E©®MO0^QO ®
Q ■SiF?r3TTrT¥rn^rTr?rrni
GET ON THE RIGHT
k TRACK WITH
MICRO/
POWER
Q
13
G
a
oj
Q
^^
e
Micro Power are an official service and information centre, and we are major suppliers to
Government and educational establishments. We stock the complete range of Acornsoft and
Micro Power software as well as a wide range of B.B.C. Micro and general computing books.
Our expert staff are always on hand to provide advice and assistance in the relaxed atmosphere
of our showroom.
COMPUTERS
SUMMER SPECIALS
BBC. Micro + Cassette Recorder AND
Five Micro Power or selected
Acornsoft Tapes 399.00
BBC. Model B plus DFS + 4 tapes 469.00
BBC- Model B plus Econet + 4 tapes . . . 446.00
B.B.C. Model B plus DFS and Econet 516,00
Acorn Electron + Cassette Recorder OR
Five Micro Power Tapes 199.00
PRINTERS
Epson FX80 41 6,40
Epson RX80 F/T 268.90
Juki 6100 Daisywheel 375.00
Smith Corona TP-I daisywheel 270.20
Cannon PW1 080 332,58
MONITORS
Kaga 12" Green Screen 123.05
Ferguson TX Monitor/TV 335,95
Sanyo DM2112 12" Green Screen 74.95
Microvitec14"RGB/PALandaudiooutput .... 258.75
Microvitec monitor (plastic) 286,85
Microvitec monitor (metal) 228.85
Plinth for above 5,75
DISK DRIVES
Pace 40 track 100K 156.40
Pace 40 track double sided 200K 220.80
Pace4O/80trackdoublesided200/400K . , . . 241.50
Pace 40 track dual drive 200K 310.50
Pace40trackdoublesideddualdrive400K ... 434.70
Mitsubishi 40/80 track double sided dual drive
400/800K 567.85
Torch ZBO Disk Pack 80 track double sided
dualdrive(including Perfect software) .... 803.85
AMS HFD 3055 3" 100K 199.00
ALL PRICES INCLUSIVE OF V.AT.
We provide free fitting for all firmware.
ACCESSORIES
Acorn B.B.C. cassette recorder(inc. leads) 35.00
Morwood B,B,C, cassette recorder (inc. leads) 29.95
Sureshot self-centering arcade joystick 18.22
Micro Power potentiometer joystick 12.95
Acorn Disk lnterface(Free1. 2 ROM ifreq.) 97,00
1 .2 ROM upgrade 1 1 .50
Speech synthesiser plus cartridge socket
(Free 1 .2 ROM if required) 55.00
View wordprocessor ROM 59,80
Wordwise wordprocessor ROM 45.42
Electron Plus 1 printer/joystick interface . . , . 59.90
First Byte Electron joystick interface
(including cassette) 24.95
ATPL sideways RAM board 45.00
Teletext adapter (Free 1.2 ROM if req.) 225,00
Softlight EPROM programmer 75.90
Printer cables (parallel or serial) 15.50
System Sac (B,B,C, canvas carrying case) . , . 19,95
3M unlabelled disks (ten) 15.00
Scotch D/S D/D disks (Box of ten) 32.50
Maxell 3" disk 4.95
Disk storage case 19,95
Vinyl dust cover for computers, disk drives,
monitors and printers 4.50
Stack light pen 28.75
Tutor Mate Monitor stands 10,50
Wide selection of computer leads and printer
ribbons in stock,
ALL ROADS LEAD TO
MICRO POWER!
'HP tac I lilies svailable
Plaaia conucl us
for furihar dstails
f >
'Fre* parking
All pricBii correct a(
tfma ol got rig 1o pF«»
Showroom: MICRO POWER LTO.
Nortiiwood House, North Sireat.
Leads LS7 2AA; Tel: (0532) 458800
Mail Ofder MICRO POWER LTD,
Dept AU9
Sheepscar House, Sheepscar Strael South.
Leeds LS7 IAD, Tel. (0532) 434O06
Send an SAE for our complsle listing
of hardware, software and books.
NB^^
CARRIAGE FREE
for ALL hardware
Books and sattwaie onlv 55p pat otdet
U K Mainland Only
iJ^][c]1II@OQ©QO
I
HARDWARE REVIEW
UNICORN: CHEAPEST
ROUTE TO UNIX
Andrew Cummins and Peter Voke test Torch's 1 6-bitter
THE Unicorn system from Torch is a
good deal more expensive than
other second processer systems,
but it gives you something special for
your money. The system given for re-
view contained a 68000 (16-bit} second
processor with a quarter megabyte of
RAM (256k), a 280 processor with 64k of
RAM, a 20Mb hard disc drive, and a
single S^in floppy drive with a slimline
profile, similar to one you may already
have connected to your BBC micro.
storing up to 400k. The whole package
sat in a buff-coloured box that stood on
one of its ends beside the BBC micro,
looking rather like a squat tower 7^in
wide, lO^in deep and 12iin high.
It had to be connected to the BBC
micro not only via
the Tube, but also
through the 1MHz
bus (for the hard
disc) and the disc
drive port (for the
floppy). This took
about 20 minutes
to sort out, and left
the squat tower of
the Unicorn a few
inches from the
right hand side of
the BBC-close,
but not so close as
to interfere with
typing. The fan in
the Unicorn was
pleasantly quiet; it
was a while before
we noticed itatall.
Normally, on re-
ceiving a Unicorn
system the user
would have to load
the main utilities (CPN, Perfect soft-
ware, and Unix -more on these later)
from the dozen or so floppy discs. This
exercise might well take a day if you
encountered problems, but fortunately
we were spared the exercise: Torch
had already loaded up the hard disc
with everything. Once that is done, it
should not need to be repeated, short of
disaster. The only other thing to be
done is to put a ROM in the BBC micro
in one of the spare slots. Then you are
ready to go.
First impressions of using the
Unicorn revealed some good, some
bad features. We were using a colour
monitor and found the mode 1 80-
column display the best to use. This
would not have been acceptable on a
TV, so a monitor is really necessary,
preferably a good resolution mono-
chrome monitor-you are unlikely to
need colour. It is in fact quite easy to
issue instructions to the BBC (which is
acting here as a front-end processor,
chief cook and bottle-washer to the
68000) from within the CPN environ-
ment, to change the screen background
colour, mode or anything else.
Less satisfactory was the way that
the Unicorn ignored several obvious
A Unix combination: monitor, Beeb and Unicorn box containing 68000 second processor, Z80
processor, 20Mb hard disc drive and S^n Roppy drive
special features of the BBC micro. For
instance, the ESCAPE key was not
used, as it clearly should be, to gener-
ate the normal escape code of Unix
(AC).
More serious was the fact that the
BREAK key was left in normal opera-
tion. It is difficult to make sure that
pressing the BREAK key leaves all pro-
cessors and disc drives in a reasonable
condition: difficult, but not impossible.
In our opinion it should have been
done. The Unicorn, like all Unix sys-
tems, is constantly swapping data in
and out of disc, and pressing BREAK as
often as not left the hard disc corrupted.
Paging mode (CTRL-N) was switched
off. and could not be changed. Small
points like this, making use of the best
features of the BBC micro, could make
the difference between the Unicorn
being a joy to use and being frankly
annoying.
Once the Unicorn is connected and
working, the user is interacting with the
CPN operating system running on the
Z80, To anyone familiar with CP/M 2.2
this will not bring many surprises. All
the utilities you would expect are there.
We found this part of the system easy to
use and the documentation first-class.
Supplied to run
under CPN is a
package of inte-
grated business
applications pro-
grams under the
Perfect label.
There are three
programs, the Per-
fect-Wrlter word-
processor, Per-
fect-Calc spread-
sheet, and Perfect-
Filer database
program. These
have a standard
command struc-
ture and inter-
workable files, as
you would expect
of a properly inte-
grated package.
Perfect-Writer and
Perfect-Calc are
both quite ade-
quate, the wordprocessor being analo-
gous to Wordstar but including a spell-
ing checker and mail-merge facilities.
Perfect-Filer \s a fairly simple database
program.
Documentation was again excellent
with tutorials available on-screen if
required.
The command inputs and printer
drivers were configurable, but there
was no real evidence that the packages
had been tailored to use any features
of the BBC microcomputer: it was
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
lIcM
II
•••••••• • ••••• • ••• ••• • •
• .^ ••••••• • ••• ••
• • ••••• • ••••••
• • • • ••• ••• •
•••••••• • ••••• • ••• ••• •
• • • ••• ••
• • ••• •• • ••••
• ••• ••• •
Disk Drives for the Acorn user
[: . , J
Statacom Distribution Ltd, are main
distributors for Datafax Disk Drives
in the U.K.
Whatever your needs . . . taik to us.
An amazing range of top quaiity
drives, suppiied with leads, cables
and utility disks from a single 100K
(200K flipable disk) with or without
power supply unit, right
through to a dual 400K,
double sided unit (800K
double density) with power
supply unit.
We also distribute
a complete range
of 5V4" disk drives.
All finished In an
attractive metal
case to match
your BBC
STATACOM DISTRIBUTION LTD, 15-17 CHEAM ROAD, SUTTON, SURREY SMI 1SW 01-661 2266
CUBE
INDUSTRIAL
MICROCOMPUTER SYSTEMS
The CUBE range of industrial microcomputer
modules, with BBC BASIC or FLEX, can provide
the complete solution to your microprocessor
control application.
Develop your target application with:
■ BBC BASIC, using our EuroBEEB 6502
target processor developed with a BBC
Microcomputer.
I PL/9, Pascal or *C', using our Eurorack
system or our BeebFLEX 6809 Second
Processor for the BBC Microcomputer.
Extend your system with our comprehensive
range of peripheral Eurocards which Includes
memory, high-resolution video, digital, analog
and serial I/O, floppy disk controllers, EPROM
programmers, and many more.
Control Universal Limited
CUBE Industrial Microcomputers
Andersons Court, Newnham Road,
Cambridge CB3 9EZ. Tel (0223) 358757
If you want to know more
about CUBE products, please
contact our team of sales
engineers for an appointment
at our premises or yours.
M
^
i
140
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
HARDWARE REVIEW
really just acting as a CPN terminal.
The main feature of the Unicorn is its
low-cost approach to providing Unix. If
you have a BBC micro and want CP/M
plus applications software, you will
probably get a second processor from
Acorn or elsewhere. The person who
buys the Unicorn is paying a lot more
and is presumably looking for more,
namely the Unix programming environ-
ment.
For those unfamiliar with Unix, it will
be useful to give some idea of what it is
(or should be) and what it does, Unix is
not just another operating system {like
CP/M) or even a super-operating
system. Originally designed in 1969 as
a multi-user scheduling program or
time-sharing system, it has come
to include so many powerful tools and
utilities that it is probably the program-
ming environment par excellence', not
so much a system, more a way of life.
The only comparable environment I've
come across is the Structured Pro-
gramming Facility now available on
IBM and Amdahl mainframes.
Unix, however, has been around a lot
longer than SPF, and. because its
'kernel' is written in the high-level
language C, it has spread rapidly to
every level and type of computer. Any-
one who can provide a C compiler and
some machine-specific routines to
handle disc drives, I/O and so on can
put Unix on their machine. Now it is
becoming available on microcom-
puters, In ten years' time, the megabyte
micros we all hope to have will almost
certainly provide Unix or a descendant
of it.
What does it do? A good Unix system
should provide compilers/interpreters
for all the well-known languages:
Pascal, Basic, Fortran, Cobol, C (of
course) and perhaps more specialised
languages such as Lisp. It gives the
user a convenient hierarchical file
structure that keeps his files separate
from those of other users, protecting
access by means of passwords. It pro-
vides a large number of utility pro-
grams- usually several hundred in
all -that can be called up by a simple
command from the keyboard. And the
commands in turn can be combined or
altered by the user at will, to create new
commands to his own specification.
The people who created and devel-
oped Unix were programmers. They
wanted the kind of power that normal
operating systems, then and now. have
a habit of denying programmers -who,
after all. are the ones who actually use
operating systems. If you've ever
looked up something in a manual,
found you can't do it, and said to your-
self 'Why not?', then Unix was made for
you.
The result is that Unix is very flexible,
very powerful, rather complex, and
potentially dangerous. For instance,
the commands tend to be terse, that is,
short two or three-letter abbreviations.
This makes Unix somewhat more diffi-
cult to learn than your average micro-
computer Basic, but less frustrating to
use once one is adept. The whole Unix
system is now sufficiently complex for
even an experienced user to overlook
the best way of doing something, or
simply do it wrong. Unix is not really a
system for the beginner in computing
or the business person with a smatter-
ing of computer literacy. It is a pro-
grammer's tool, not an executive toy.
Unix is like a blunderbuss in that it is
easy to shoot yourself in the foot unless
you are careful. If you know what you
are doing, it will help you to lick pro-
gramming problems faster than you
ever knew you could.
Back of the Unicorn box showing connections
to 1MHz bus and disc interface, with power
switch (top) and cable connection (bottom
right)
Just to give a taste, here are some of
the utilities available on the Torch
Unicorn Unix, and any other decent
Unix system. You have the choice of
several editors including 'ed', which is
fairly simple, and 'vi', which is. if any-
thing, too powerful. You have *sed', a
search-and-replace editor.
The number of file manipulation pro-
grams is enormous. You even have
programs that allow you to create your
own computer language and compile
programs in it, as well as being able to
run programs in any of the existing
common languages. You can create
your own commands, either by combin-
ing existing commands orfrom scratch,
using C. There is 'nroff'. a text format-
ter, and 'sees', designed for software
project control.
You have full control over your filing
system, I/O, and the destination of the
output from any process. Fundamental
to Unix, in fact, is the idea of stringing
programs together so that the output of
one becomes the input of the next; the
implications of this in text-processing
applications are mind-boggling.
You can set up one program to run in
the background while you get on with
something else. If you don't like the
command structure {'shell', in Unix
jargon) you are working in. pick
another -or create your own. Unix is all
about freedom and power, breaking
down barriers to what you want to do
rather than creating them, as other
more limited operating systems fre-
quently seem to do.
It all sounds wonderful, and indeed it
is. People who get to know Unix well
usually have nothing but praise for its
power and flexibility, and if you are
already a Unix user you will probably
not need convincing.
The Unicorn, however, is a rather
special implementation of Unix. If you
already own a BBC micro with disc
interface and high-resolution monitor,
it will be the cheapest way of getting
hold of Unix. Even if you don't own a
Beeb it is still a cheap route to Unix. The
problem is that, to some extent, you
only get what you pay for. The power of
Unix carries a cost, in terms of memory
requirements and speed, that the
Unicorn is barely capable of meeting.
Unix is entered from CPN by typing
'unix'. There follows a long logging-in
sequence, in which the first big disad-
vantage of running Unix on the Unicorn
becomes quickly apparent, Everything
takes much longer than one is used to
on bigger machines (or with less ambi-
tious systems on smaller ones), even
though only one person at a time can
use the Unicorn,
The reason for the slowness is partly
that the system I was given had 'only'
256k of RAM for the 68000 to use, and
upgrades to 512k or 1Mb (available
towards the end of this year, according
to Torch) would allow easier caching of
the hard disc transfers. However,
another feature of the design is also
fundamentally responsible for the
slowness; the hard disc (and the floppy
too) are not controlled directly by either
the Z80 or 68000 processors within the
Unicorn box. Instead they are con-
nected separately to the BBC micro
through the 1MHz bus and the disc port
respectively.
In the case of the hard disc, this pre-
sents a severe bottleneck for transfers
from the disc to the Unicorn pro-
cessors. All data has to go via the 1MHz
expansion port, through the 6502 in the
BBC micro and back out along the Tube
to the 68000. This convoluted journey is
page 165 ►
dl
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
NEW FOOD
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BBC Model B Disc Interface £469.00
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Acorn Electron £199.00
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This allows the BBC Model B to run faster with greatly increased
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Acorn Z80 2nd Processor £299.00
If you have wondered how to make the best use of your BBC for
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Dual 800K Disc Drive
£359.00
Superb British made disc drive unit ideal for use with the 280 2nd
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Acorn Teletext Adaptor £225.00
Allows the downloading, storing and running of programs vta
Ceefax, transmitted free of charge, pages can also be saved and
printed from all 4 channels.
Acorn Bitsik £375.00
This superb menu driven graphics package allows high quality
CAD at a modest price. Needs 6502 2nd Processor and dual 80
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Acorn IEEE 488 Interface £325.00
Provides computer control of compatible scientific and technical
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Acorn Word Processor View £59.00
This Rom based word processor has many advanced features
including macros, still one of the best available on the market.
Acorn Spreadsheet Viewsheet £59.00
A new spreadsheet from Acornsoft comes in a 16K Rom with a
comprehensive manual, it is compatible with view and-the 6502
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Mass Marco Assembler £35.00
A superb machine code assemble in Rom. includes comprehensive
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Also includes a ulitity disc with many useful routines.
All pricfls include VAT and delivery
142
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
HARDWARE REVIEW
QUINKEY
HNGERS
A SURPRISING new hardware add-
on for the BBC micro has
appeared. The Quinkey is a one-
handed keyboard produced by Micro-
writer that provides a novel way of
accessing the computer. It costs a little
under C50, including VAT.
The Microwriter, from which the
Quinkey is derived, was invented by a
film director, and is reputed to have
been used to write the film Zulu Dawn.
That may not strike everyone as much
of a recommendation, but the Micro-
writer has survived, and flourishes.
Basically a portable text-recording
device, in the Quinkey it has found a
new and potentially revolutionary
application as a plug-in keyboard for
the Beeb. Versions are likely to follow
for the Electron, the Spectrum, and the
Commodore 64.
What is special about the Quinkey?
First, in place of the conventional type-
writer keyboard there's a specially
shaped block about the size of a paper-
back book, with just six keys on it. Five
of these six keys lie naturally under the
fingers and thumb of the right hand.
while the sixth is reached by a slight
downward movement of the thumb. On
starting to use the Quinkey the natural-
ness of the position of one's hand
compared to a conventional keyboard
is immediately apparent -and one can
sit back in an easy chair with the Quin-
key on one knee, rather than having to
hunch over the keyboard in the usual
hacker's style. Microwriter has been
sensible enough to give the Quinkey a
long lead.
So. one up for the Quinkey: no more
backache. The next test is whether it
does what it is supposed to do. The let-
ters of the alphabet are entered by
pressing combinations of fingers on the
right hand, as a pianist plays chords,
rather than one key at a time. This
might sound more complicated than
typing, but you quickly discover that the
claims of Microwriter are no exagger-
ation: the finger combinations have
been chosen to seem so natural that it
takes only a few minutes- literally -to
remember all the shapes for a to z. I
didn't believe this claim until I tried it
myself, but only needed to go back to
the manual once to check a few letters
asecondtime.
To cope with the BBC control codes
(things like CTRL-U and CTRL-N) the
Microwriter scheme has been
extended in a simple way, and one
presses a special 'shape' with one's
fingers (COM-X) followed by the letter
concerned. Yet another special shape
(COM-H) allows the Quinkey to mimic
the red function keys on the BBC micro,
and a few non-standard characters
Microwriter's Quinkey, a 'complete alterna-
tive keyboard' tor the BBC micro at £49.95
such as H and > , It might seem imposs-
ible to remember all the finger combi-
nations involved, but once the basic 26
letters and five common punctuation
marks are learned, the rest comes
fairly naturally.
Microwriter claims that people take
to the Quinkey-style keyboard much
quicker than to a qwerty typewriter lay-
out. A typing speed of 25 words per
minute is reached faster, though it is
difficult to get beyond 40 or 45 words
per minute because of the one-handed
nature of the action. This is likely to
bother only the superfast professional
typist, who can get up to 90 words per
minute on a qwerty keyboard, and is
not really a limitation for the micro
user. Having used a Quinkey for a
couple of hours, I am convinced Micro-
writer is correct.
The Quinkey arrives from Vector
Peter Voke lays a
hand on the new
Microwriter add-
on for the Beeb
Marketing in a good solid polystyrene
pack, with a separate interface pack.
The latter contains a user's guide that
is exceptionally clear and complete,
with a useful technical section at the
back. (One or two small points: the use
of the thumb key alone for the space
character is not dealt with properly
along with the other main letters, and
numeric-X actually produces an aster-
isk, notaletterX.)
In addition you get a small adapter,
which plugs into the back of the micro-
computer, allowing four Quinkeys to
access the computer simultaneously. I
had only one Quinkey and so cannot
comment on the practicality of up to
four people using the computer simul-
taneously.
To use the Quinkey you obviously
have to program the Beeb to accept its
input, and Microwriter provides two
programs on tape to do this. One,
called Prog, is for ordinary use in pro-
gramming, or in programs designed to
use the Quinkey input, and the other
called WP. is for use with wordproces-
sors. The Quinkey works with either
Wordwiseor View.
In addition, the tape has a tutor pro-
gram which some people may like to
use, although it isn't really needed to
learn to use the Quinkey.
When the Prog is run, it relocates
some machine code of length &300
bytes to just above PAGE, and shifts
PAGE up by &300. You now have a situ-
ation rather like that produced by an
extra ROM that uses private work-
space. The three pages you have lost
are occupied in this case by the soft-
ware that reads the Quinkey keyboard.
What happens is that the 100Hz inter-
rupt from the system VIA is intercepted
through IRQ2V and redirected to the
Quinkey software. This technical
mumbo-jumbo boils down to some-
PRICES
Basic: Interface, keyboard and two
software packs, £49.95 (each key-
board £29.95)
Education: Interface, four keyboards
and multi-user software, £148.80
IEE>
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
What the competition
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Multi-Forth 83 sits in the sideways ROM area of the BBC along
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With this Forth, David Husband has provided the BBC Micro with
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144
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
HARDWARE REVIEW
thing very simple: the BBC micro
checks the analogue input a hundred
times a second to see it you are doing
anything with the Quinkey keyboard. If
you are, it updates its current key
press' and then, when you release the
keys completely, puts the character
into the input buffer.
One thing to note: the character is
input when you release the keys, not
before. This is slightly disconcerting at
first, but makes sense, since it means
that the keys you want pressed don't all
have to all go down or spring up
together. If they did, using a Quinkey or
Microwriter would be impossible-
Taking a look at the machine code
that runs the Quinkey, it turns out to be
fairly simple but efficient. No work-
space is used outside the 3/4k of Quin-
key private workspace. You can adjust
the action of the Quinkey in a number of
ways, simply by knowing a little about
what is going on in those three pages.
So, for the benefit of present and future
Quinkey owners, here are some hints.
First, the characters output by the
Quinkey are held in lookup tables, 32 at
a time. If Prog is loaded at &1900 (set
PAGE-&1900 and LOAD 'PROG'), the
data tables for all the characters lie
between &1C4C and &1D0A. Locations
&1C4C to &1C6B contain the ordinary
lower-case letters plus the five
common punctuation marks produced
by the unshifted Quinkey. The Quinkey
"command' codes are in memory from
&1C6C to &1C8B (though it is notice-
able that the second 16 bytes are all
zero, meaning that key presses involv-
ing both the thumb keys produce
nothing). From &1C8C to &1CAB the
capitals are stored, from &1CAC to
&1CCB the Quinkey 'numeric shift'
characters, and from &1CCC to &1CEB
the 'special shift' characters intro-
duced to cope with the BBC function
keys and non-standard characters. The
BBC control codes (ASCII 01 to 26)
follow from &1CEC to &1D0B.
Qf course, the characters are not in
alphabetical order in these blocks. The
position of the characters in the tables
determines which character appears
on the screen for a particular combi-
nation of keys pressed. The five fingers
of the right hand each trigger one bit of
a five-bit number. For instance, the
Quinkey finger shape for the letter 'j' is
thumb, ring finger and little finger. The
five bit number is therefore 10011, or
19. The Quinkey produces a 'j' in re-
sponse to this because a 'j' is at pos-
ition 19 in the table beginning at &1C4C.
The little finger alone Is the letter 'u',
and 'u' is the first letter in the table, as
we expect. The whole table from &1C4C
contains:
usgoqnbevt,a-.m hkjczyxilrwd'fp
in the form of ASCII codes.
This should allow you to reprogram
the Quinkey without difficulty. For
instance, to swap the Quinkey finger
presses for u' and 's', you just swap
their positions in the table, putting the
ASCII code for 's' (&73) into &1C4C, and
the code for *u' (&75) into &1C4D. It
makes more sense to do something
useful, like putting the SHIFT + function
key codes into unused spaces in the
tables: in my personalised version of
Prog I have put &92, &93, &95 and &96
into locations &1C7C, &1C7D, &1C7F
and &1C83 respectively. The Quinkey
then produces the teletext colour
characters for green, yellow, magenta
and cyan when two thumb keys are
pressed with one other key.
Four Ouinkeys can access the Beeb simul-
taneously
One major way in which the Quinkey
differs from the ordinary keyboard is in
its handling of autorepeat. Because a
character is put into the buffer only
when the finger keys are released, no
autorepeat takes place when the keys
are held down. (If you are not sure what
'autorepeat' means compare this with
the action of the BBC micro when you
put your finger on a key and keep it
there.)
A simulation of autorepeat has been
put into the Quinkey, however, which
works like this: if, after entering a
character, all the keys are pressed
including both thumb keys, the charac-
ter last entered starts to autorepeat at
about the normal default rate used on
the main keyboard (5/100 second). This
rate is not affected by *FX12 but can be
altered by changing a byte in the Quin-
key driver machine code at &1AAC.
This is normally 5 (the second byte of
LDA ^5) but can be changed to 2 or 3 for
a faster autorepeat.
The only keys that need to auto-
repeat on a regular basis are the four
cursor keys, Copy, and perhaps Delete.
I feel it would be nice if these key-
presses, all of which are Quinkey 'com-
mand' shapes, could autorepeat just by
holding them down for more than ofie-
third of a second or so, at a controllable
rate. Since the actual handling of the
Quinkey input is done entirely by soft-
ware, it is likely that improvements and
enhancements like these {if such they
are) will become available in due
course.
One keyboard facility the Quinkey
cannot mimic is the INKEY(-N) state-
ment in Basic, or the equivalent
OSBYTE call in machine code. These
access the hardware connected to the
keyboard rather than the input buffer,
and cannot be intercepted through
RDCHV: possibly they could be inter-
cepted through BYTEV.
This is not a great problem so long as
the Quinkey is considered a text input
device rather than a games controller
halfway between a keyboard and a
joystick. However, I'm sufficiently
enthusiastic about the Quinkey after a
■week of use to think that Microwriter
can afford to set its sights as high as
possible. It is conceivable, with
advances in Very Large Scale Inte-
gration continuing, and tiny flat-screen
TVs starting to make their appearance,
that portable computers in ten years
will be no larger than the Quinkey it-
self- and that is all you will need. If this
prediction turns out to be true, the six-
button keyboard is the interface of the
future, and could be the death of qwerty
sooner than anyone expects. Before
that happens, we are likely to see Quin-
keyslinkedtothecomputer by infra-red
rather than wires, like the IBM PC key-
board.
Because the Quinkey has not been
programmed to intercept INKEY with
a negative argument, one popular
feature of the BBC micro does not work
from it. This is the use of the SHIFT key
in scrolling listings in paged mode.
Paged mode can still be switched on
and off, since CTRL-N and CTRL-O are
both characters the Quinkey can out-
put. But once you are in paged mode,
you have to press the SHIFT key on the-
keyboard to keep a listing going.
For a programmer (Basic or assem-
bly language) this is a real disadvan-
tage. The problem that the Quinkey is
up against is that it really has to provide
all the functions of the keyboard, with-
out exception, if it is going to compete.
It comes so close that it's a pity Micro-
writer didn't make sure of the paging
facility at least
You will probably expect me to finish
by saying this article was typed using a
Quinkey. It wasn't. I'm still a lot faster
on the keyboard, and possibly always
will be. Old habits are hard to kill. But
I'm going to persevere with the Quin-
key, if only to avoid developing the
dreaded Hacker's Shoulder in my old
age. And to be ready for the hand-held
supermicros of the 1990s, of course.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
11
MONITORS
MicrovitBcl4Sr^^^^ £268.69
Monochrome
Sanyo DM2112
Sanyo DM81 12CX
Teco with Zoom
+ VAT = £309
£75
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Colour
Microvitec1431 £!95
1431 (RGB/PAL/Audio) £225
Microvitec1451/1453QL £309
1451 (RGB/PAL/Audio) £340
Microvitec 1441 Hi resolution
Plastic case £499
PROCESSORS
BBC Model B £338.26
+ VAT = £389
BBC MODEL B £389
BBC 'B' WITH DFS £459
Acorn Z80 Ext. Processor £299
Acorn Electron £199
Torch Unicorn Package P.O.A.
DISK INTERFACES
Kenda Mighty Oak £90
Kenda Professional (double
density) £130
Opus Double Density £130
Acorn DPS Kit £97
MODEMS
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Computer Work Station £57
Holds Micro *, Monitor, Printer/
with Storage Space.
Printer Stands £17
Desk Stacking Unit £23
(Lockable version available)
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT
Prices shown are for cash & carry sales and are correct at
time of going to press.
Export price list available
Mail order and credit cards accepted
OPEN 9-6 Monday to Saturday
57 Hoxton Square
London N1
Tel: 01-729 1778
f/AST
Epson RX80FT
Star Gemini 10
Star Delta 10
KDC FT-5001
Epson RX80
Epson RX80 F/T
Epson FX80
Mannesman MT80
£221.73
+ VAT-C255
£249
£365
£234
£219
£255
£379
£225
DAISYWHEEL
Mi6IQ0
£326.08
+ VAT = £375
THE EXPERTS
JUKI 6100 £375
Silver Reed EXP500 £315
Daisy Step 2000 £289
Plus
JUKI Sheet Feeder £239
JUKI Tractor Feed £109
Serial Interfacfl Conversions
8143— Epson £30
8148— Epson (2k buffer
XON/XOFF protocol) £65
JUKI £55
Plus cables from £12
BUSINESS SYSTEMS
A.C.T. Apricot
Processors and
Business Systems
assembled to your
specification. Price
dependent on
equipment supplied.
Call us to discuss your
requirement.
I
HARDWARE REVIEW
WATCH
MY
LINE
Chris Steele sees
an educational
potential in
the Parfitt plotter
DESIGNERS tend to be particular
about the quality of an image.
Teaching 'computing in art and
design' in an art college is not easy,
and when the students realise that the
final product is to be either a screen
photograph or a screen dump they
often lose interest altogether. But
demonstrate a plotter drawing a grid
he Parfitt PlottGr
Handwritten by the Parfitt plotter
with great accuracy and speed anfl
interest is rekindled.
The important difference is that a
plotter moves a pen across the surface
of the paper, so creating a continuous
line. This produces an image of vastly
superior line quality to that produced
by the pins of a dot matrix printer.
Plotters tend to be very expensive,
so the introduction of a cheap A4 three-
pen plotter by Parfitt Electronics will
arouse a lot of interest in education
(see prices panel, page 149).
First impressions are often decep-
tive and the Parfitt plotter proves no
exception to the rule. At first it seems to
be a prototype development model,
with bare stepper motors and extruded
aluminium section mounted on a lami-
nate covered chipboard base - nothing
is left to the imagination.
Once unpacked, the ribbon cable
from the plotter is attached to the user
port on the BBC and the power lead
attached to either your micro or the
external supply which Parfitt will
supply. Three pens are supplied with
The plotter draws an out-
line map of Britain from a
scanned image stored in
memory and displayed on
the screen
The plotter drawing
under the control of a
recursive routine
the standard kit to get the user off the
ground.
The manual, which is quite sufficient
for the frequent user, is carefully laid
out.
Software is provided to enable the
plotter to be used easily from ordinary
Basic programs. This must be loaded
before the plotter can be used.
Calls are provided for PMOVE and
PDRAW as replacements for normal
graphics commands, but also for PLINE
(draw a line between two points). PBOX
(outline a rectangular area), POFFSET
(to move the origin). PINIT (reset the
plotter), PORIENT (set the orientation of
text), PSTRING (to print text) and
PSPEED (to control the drawing speed
of the plotter). The code takes up 1.5k of
the memory.
Demonstration software is supplied
on a menu-driven autoboot disc and
you are encouraged to make a backup.
Setting the plotter up is a bit of a drag.
First, the pen guides, pens and pen-lift-
ing rings must be carefully adjusted so
that the pens are actually off the paper
when the software thinks they are. The
drawing medium must be firmly
attached to the base so that it lies per-
fectly flat.
None of this is difficult-just time-
consuming and not something students
seem willing todo.
The plotter is provided with three
qoloured fibre-tip pens, but Staedler
drawing pens can also be accommo-
dated. In practice we use many types of
material, from acetate to line board, to
draw on. Different thicknesses of
paper, though, require the pens to be
set to different heights - more frustrat-
ing minutes sliding the lifting arms up
and down the pens.
Like most plotters, the Parfitt plotter
Scraper board design by the author, cut with
scribe r
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
start with
EPSON'S best.
. . . add a sturdy,
power-supply upgradeable case,
test it thoroughly, package it
with all necessary
leads and manuals,
and add a full year's
warranty:
The UDM Disk Drive!
Available Ihrough UDM dealers,
in single & dual, 40 & 80 track
single & double sided, 51/4 & 3'/2 inch
versions with or without power supply
for less than you think.
Please forward me details on
the Epson/UDM range.
I am interested in bec{»ming
a UDM Authorised Dealer.
Name _^^
n
Address_
UNITED
DISK/MEMORiES
STANHOPE HOUSE FAIRBRIDGE ROAD LONDON N19 3HP0V263 5026
I
HARDWARE REVIEW
drives the pen across the drawing sur-
face with two stepper motors. It is the
size of each discrete step the motors
take that determines the quality of the
line produced. Even with the best plot-
ters, costing a hundred times the price
of the Parfitt these steps are discern-
ible at close range by the jaggedness of
the line. The step size on the Parfitt is
0.25mm, which produces noticeable
steps in all but horizontal and vertical
lines.
The Parfitt has performed very well
at Canterbury College of Art, proving
robust and dependable, (In education
'robust' can be translated as 'tank like'
when you consider the unintentional
abuse which students subject equip-
ment to.)
Graphics students have used the
plotter to develop simple grids for page
layouts and plots on which to develop
their ideas at home. Drawing grids
manually can be so frustrating that see-
ing the plotter in action prompted one
graphic designer to proclaim that he
now had all the reason he needed to
buy a BBC computer!
Both software and hardware appear
to be under constant development. A
'soon to be launched' triple software
pack will include a Logo implemen-
tation, a 'pottery' or 'glass' design pack
allowing simple forms to be rotated
(this will look familiar to users of Gino)
and a 3D package (which looks very
much likeone lfirstsawonthe380Z).
On the hardware side there is now a
scriber that can be used with scraper-
board, an opto-sensor for scanning
images, and a drill/router for cutting
into a material. A combined kit could
(with the right software) allow an image
to be input from paper, manipulated on
screen, and then drawn, scribed or cut
out by the plotter. The present software
takes 20 minutes to scan an image,
which is a drawback.
Parfitt Electronics believes that 95
per cent of its market is in the education
field.
I doubt that there are many personal
users willing to pay for a plotter. How-
ever, there is nothing like this product
on the market at the moment -the
MCP40 plotter can use only 4 in. wide
paper and the Data Efficiency strobe
graphics drum plotter is nearly twice
the price.
I believe the most useful application
of the Parfitt plotter is as a demonstra-
tion tool. Out go the dreary slides of
computer drawings or computer con-
trolled machinery, in comes a Parfitt
plotter.
It visibly demonstrates how a com-
puter can control the physical world,
and in this respect its naked appear-
ance is an advantage. Students can see
everything working.
Photograph digitised by
the Parfitt plotter's opto-
sensor, then dumped
back onto the plotter
using the software pro-
vided
At first glance the Parfitt
plotter looks like a
prototype development
model, with bare step-
per motors and a lami-
nate chipboard base-
but its nakedness is
actually an advantage in
demonstrations
Three dimensional plot-
ling (left and below) of the
Beeb, monitor and disc
drive, produced from the
author's own software
PRICES
Basic plotter, software, pens
manual and delivery
e270
Software on disc (extra)
£4
Power supply cable
£3.50
Basic power supply (PS12)
E42
Power supply for plotter
anddrili(PS24)
£78
Opto-sensor
£74
Staedtler pen set
£22.50
All prices exclude VAT
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
BBC DUAL DISC PAYROLL PROGRAM
For 150 employees with 100K disc using random access
operation.
Calculates most tax codes and national insurance rates.
Calculates up to 24 fixed deductions per employee includ-
ing employer's and employee's pension contribution and
S.S.P.
Prints payslips, cheques and cheque list.
Has coin and noteanaiysis.
Has a complete end of year routine for tax returns.
BBC B DISC MAIL MERGE PROGRAM
Produces personalised versions of a standard letter by
merging names and addresses held on a data disc with a
standard letter produced on Wordwise or Merlinscribe
word processors.
Prints letters, envelopes, two abreast labels and the com-
plete file including telephone numbers.
Comprehensive facility for selecting and printing using
any user definable criteria,
BBC B DISC MAILING LISTPROGRAM
Stores up to 350 names and addresses per 40 track disc
or 700 per 80 track disc.
Incorporates comprehensive search facilities for selective
printing of labels, envelopes and letter headings.
MICROS
MONITOR
PRINTERS
DISC DRIVE
BBC B £395 +DFS £469
Electron £199
Spectrum £125
^ «3
Colour/Green Novex 1414 £228
Green Sanyo DM21 12 £80
RX-80 £290
RX-80F/T £325
Gemini 1 OX £255
Single 40 track 100K £170
Single 40/80 track 100K £299
Dual 40 track £350
Dual 40/80 track DS £575
SOFTWARE
Payroll > 40 or 80 track £49,95; Torch Z80 £74.95
Mail merge :- 40 or 80 track £39.95; Torch Z80 £69,95
Mailing list :- 40 or 80 track £1 9.95; Torch Z80 £29.95
Carriage 50p.
Discs from £19.95, cassettes from £0-55 and joysticks
from £1 7.50, leads from £2.50,
Just arrived hard covers for all micros.
Business systems customised to individual needs such as
word processing, payroll, employment agencies and
chemist.
All prices inc VAT. Postage extra.
SENDORDERSTO
CYB COMPUTERS
9 Crown Parade. Crown Lane, Morden,
Surrey SM4 5DA. 01 542 7662.
WE ARE A FEW YARDS FROM MORDEN UNDERGROUND STATION
See what the ex
have to say...
perts
The Wheel
of Fortune
This game
is a
classic
puzzle
adventure
with.
;hTfe':turesyouci expect
from
EPIC
^?N'Tm-ffi ^^o^"o CHARACTERS
SpS INTERPRETERS
"At last we have an adventure worthy of the BBC Micro... This
game must now become a yardstick by which future
adventures should be measured." MICRO ADVEl^TURER
"This has to be the adventure of 1984. It really is superb."
MICRONETSOO
"Technically, this game surpasses any I have seen for the
BBC Micro." H.CM
"The definitive adventure. Highly recommended."
ELECTRON USER
r%^ - n
_ TO: EPIC SOFTWARE. DEPT. A, 1 GLADSTONE ST.. KIBWORTH BEAGCHAMP,
; I LEICESTER LE8 OHL Please Rush Me-
..qty THEWHEELOFFORTCJME
..qty CASTLE FRAMKENSTEIH
..qty THEQUESTFORTHEHOLYGRAIL
..qty THEKIMGDOMOFKLEIM
CASSETTE
DISC
£9.95
£H.95
£7.95
£9,95
£7.95
£9.95
£7,95
£9.95
STATE:
BBC/
ELECTROh
(Delete)
POSTAGE & PACKING FREE FOR 2 OR MORE. ADD 50p FOR OME.
I ENCLOSE CHEQOE/P.O- TO THE VALUE OF
NAME
ADDRESS
POST CODE
All programs available for immediate despatch. Dealer enquiries welcome. Help Service.
750
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
T — I — 1 — I — I — I — r
T — I — I — r
PRINTED WORD
CANONPW-1080A
Near letter Quality Printer
NLQ Mode 23 X 1 8 Matrix; 27 cps
Draft Mode 11x9 Matrix ■ 1 60 cps
Full range of Epson FX 80 Print Codes
Friction & Tractor Feed
Cenlronics Interface Standard
CANON PW-1 1 56A (Accepts 1 5" Paper) Available
CANON PW-1080A £295.65 + VAT =£340.00
CANON PW-1 1 56A E391 .30 + VAT - E450.00
PACKAGE PRICE for SBC MICHO/DHAGON/ORIC
CANON PW-1080A C.J.E. PRINTER PACKAGE E365.00lnc. VAT
CANON PW-1 156A C.J.E. PRINTER PACKAGE E470,00 Inc. VAT
Special RS 232 Printer Bargain
STAR DP8480 (8" Printing) E197.00 Inc. VAT
Ideal tor BBC/Newt)rain/HX20 & Spectrum Int. 1
Phone for full specification
;,J.E. Micro's BBC Printer Packs
For Star. Canon & Juki Printers include;
1 . The Printer
2. Delivery by Securicor
3. Cable to the BBC 1 .3 Metres
4. Screen Dump Progam (M/C Source)
5. Text Dump Program
6. Fur>ction Key set up Program. For use with WORDWISE
7. Fufxrtion Key Label Printing Program. For use with above.
8. VIEW Printer Driver
9, 1 00 Sheets of Paper
1 0, Mains Plug with 3 Amp Fuse
1 1 Bookletgivingdetailsof using the printer with a BBC.
1 2 Character Defining Program for Downloadable- character- set
C.J.E. Printer Packs for other micro's indude;-
Printer, Cable, Paper. Mains Plug & Delivery
BBC MICROMODEL B £399.00
Electron £199.00
BBC Micro Model B with Disc Int. £469.00
Large Range of Accessories inctudinq Disc
Dnves. Pnnlers. Monitors always in stock
Printer Cables
BBC to 36 VWay Centronics Type Connector C 1 5 00
Dragon ro 36 Way Centronics Type Conneclor CI 5 00
One lo 36 Way Cenlronics Type Conneclor £1 5 00
Torch (o 36 Way Cenlronics Type Conneclor E:20.00
Serial Printer Cables
BBC lo 25 way D type £9 50
EPSON HX20IO 25 way Dtype £9 50
NEWBRAIN to 25 Way D Type C12.00
25way Dtype!o25wayDlype E15.00
Blank CI 5/C30 Cassettes Ten (or C4 50 ANY MIX
Send SAE (or Full Pnce Lisl
VAT INCLUDED WHERE APPLICABLE
PHONE/CREDIT CARD ORDERS SVELCOME
Postage 50p per order or as stated
24 Hr Securicor Delivery
tor Printers/Disk Drives E8.00
(SHOPAft/ORKSHOP CLOSED MONDAYS)
C.J.E. Microcomputers
Dept (PCWl, 7B bngnron Road. Worthing
W,SusseiBN11 3EN (0903)213900
EXPORT ORDERS WELCOME
RING FOR SAMPLE PRINTOUT, FULL SPECIFICATIONS & LATEST PRICES
BEST PRICES & BACKUP ON THE STAR JUKI & CANON PRINTERS
HIGH QUAUTYONiPUTER DESKS
ATHIGHLYCOMPETITIYE PRKES.
THE ORGANISER DESK,
• Top shelf for monitor/printer.
• Liirge desk top ai'ea.
• Lower shelf for paper/book storage.
Teak finish • On castors.
•Self assembly
• Ample room in fi-ont of the
shelf for you to sit comfortably
► Assembled Dimensions:
H.31"W40M"D.26"
Only £59.95.
THE APOLLO RANGE OF BUSEVESS DESKS.
• 10 models available to suit leading computer
systems. • Immediate delivery
• Sturdy steel underfiiames.
• Scratch resistant surfaces.
• Lockable castors. • Prices fi*om £100.
All are on display in our showroom and are available from us or dealers throughout
the U.K. All prices include VAT and delivery
For fi.irther details contact us at:
158 Camberwell Road, London SE5 OEE. Telephone: 01-701 8668.
I
II
Eprom Programmer
for the BBC Micro
This compact, elegant unit programs 2764 & 27128
eproms and offers the following attractive features.
# high quality, low cost • menu driven software Incorporating
the following commands: program, save, verify, testblank,
checksum, select eprom, MOS call, ROM format • optional
conversion from Basic to ROM format • free 2764 eprom
containing programming software - no cassette loading prob-
lems • easy to use 28 pin zero insertion force socket •ouilt-in
voltage converter • integral cable connecting to user port; no
other connection needed • comprehensive documentation
plus one year's guarantee.
This product is available in quantity NOW!
Programmer and data sheet from Softllfe Ltd..
87 Sllvertown Way, London E16 4AH Tel: 01 474 0330
CQ|3L|rLLe
This Disc Back-Up Utility for the BBC Micro will
recreate all protected software so far
encountered.
requires a BBC 'B' with
operating system 1.0 (or later) and any Acorn
compatible DFS. It is available in 40 - 80 track
versions. Copyrite cost £10.95 inclusive of
postage and packaging. Cheques payable to
Ephagy Software Products or send an LEA
purchase order.
C o t? q r Lte
is incapable of recreating
itself due to a sophisticated protection system.
Now we can offer you this system of protection.
Write now for further information about our
Disc-Minder service.
WARNING
This powerful
package is
not intended to be used to break copyright. It is
capable of duplicating most protected disc based
software and as such must be used with discretion.
Ephagy Software Products
Rear of 125, Corporation Road,
Grimsby South Humberside DN31 lUR
152
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
YOUR STARTER
FOR NUMBER TEN
'1984', Incentive Software, BBC B, £6.50
NOT, as you might think from the title,
the latest arcade game with Winston
Smith being pursued by man-eating
rats and Thought Police. Instead 1984\s
about the rather more mundane task of
running the nation's finances, with you
as Prime Minister.
Using the 1982/83 economic figures
as a basis, you have to decide on the
levels of Government spending,
income tax rates and wage settlements
for 1984. Unless you make a complete
mess of the first year and are forced to
resign, you can then go on to balance
the books for subsequent years -the
ultimate goal being to stay in office until
the21st century.
The program itself is loaded using
four different sections - an increas-
ingly common device designed to stop
piracy. The first section - the loader' -
draws a rather nice Houses of Parlia-
ment and then, to the chimes of Big
Ben, loads in the rest of the program.
The next thing you see is the Govern-
ment's balance sheet showing expen-
diture and revenue. For 1982/83 these
balance at £:i40bn and ideally they
should balance each year. Then you
get the eight major economic indi-
cators: inflation rate, unemployment,
gross domestic product, gold reserves,
industrial output, balance of trade,
average wage and exchange rate.
Together these show how the economy
is faring each year, but you can also
see a graph of how each indicator has
changed during your years in office.
At the beginning of each year, the
first thing you have to set is the Mini-
mum Lending Rate, which affects bank
interest rates. Only small changes are
allowed, so if it stands at 9 per cent you
can't change it to 5 or 20 per cent - the
effect on the economy would be devas-
tating!
Next you negotiate the year's wage
settlements for the Civil Servants, the
Public Sector and the Private Sector.
Outlandish settlements are not
allowed: if the Civil Servants ask for 8.7
per cent and you offer 100 per cent you
will be forced to resign -end of game.
On the other hand, if you offer only 2 per
cent, such a derisory figure will be
rejected and their claim will go
through. Unlike real life, though, you
only getone round of bargaining.
The level of funding for the various
Government departments is decided
next, and this is where party policy can
be put into practice. You might, for
example, want to increase spending on
Social Security and Housing at the
expense of Defence and Transport. You
cannot make really drastic cuts, and if
any departments are seriously under-
funded a warning message appears.
Huge increases will be greeted by the
message 'Public Spending out of Hand'
and again you will be forced to resign.
Next you temporarily become the
Chancellor. In your Budget you can
raise extra money from VAT, income
tax etc, or increase unemployment
benefit, child benefit etc. I noticed a
rather drastic bug here: if you reduce
any of the tax rates - VAT for example -
to zero, it cannot be raised again,
because you cannot increase any rate
by more than 10 per cent and a 10 per
cent increase on zero is still zero!
If you survive the year you get an
opinion poll of your popularity; if it falls
below 45 per cent you're in trouble!
Before going on to 1985, you can see
the balance sheet and major indicators
showing howwell you managed 1984.
Playing 1984 gives you quite an in-
sight into how the country's finances
work. For example, it is very difficult to
stop inflation spiralling away-from an
initial figure of 4.8 per cent I had it top-
ping 20 per cent by the end of 1986.
Included with the program is a little
booklet entitled 'A Pocket Guide to
Running Britain. Perhaps acomplimen-
tary copy should go to 10 Downing
Street? Geoff Nairn
SHOOT THE MEANIES . .
AND HOME TO MOTHER
'Cylon Attack', A&F, Unit 8, Canalslde
Industrial Estate, Woodbine Street East,
Rochdale, Lanes 0L16 5LB, BBC and
Electron, £7.90
A COUPLE of years ago (when my Beeb
was still a figment of the postman's
imagination). I started to daydream of a
computer game where you could fly a
mission in space by being launched
from a space station, fly around attack-
ing three dimensional nasties and then
fly back to dock with the mothership
again. Later that same year Buck
Rogers started doing just that and now
A&F has gone a long way towards pro-
viding my original dream at the comfort
of my own keyboard.
To play, you launch from your
mothership into space, the blackness
of which is interrupted only by the dis-
tant galaxies and the occasional adver-
tisement for A&F. Almost immediately
aliens start attacking, zooming in
larger and larger and firing at you. Your
own bolts may be discharged by press-
ing the space bar- A, Z,<,> and*,?,Z,X
control options are provided, plus joy-
sticks-and, if on target, the ship dis-
appears in a cloud of space debris. If
you eventually hit a sector of space
where there are no meanies around to
take shots at you, your long range
scanner, immediately above your cock-
pit view, can be used to search for
others. If you destroy everything in the
current attack wave, you have to
search out your mothership and redock
to replenish fuel and shield energy.
There are two types of alien on the
first wave, rising to four by wave three,
and they all grow more numerous and
aggressive as you progress. One type
even spawns another, so that the
enemy may replenish its forces during
an attack.
You may refuel during an attack
wave (and at the higher levels you will
be forced to), but all the alien's venom
will then be concentrated on your
mothership. Loss of all shield energy
(or destroying your own mothership)
signalstheendofthegame.
Cylon Attack is as good a space
game as you're going to get on the BBC
micro at the current state of play.
Simon Williams
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
START PROFESSIONAL
—STA Y PROFESSIONAL
For the BBC Micro Model A/B
MORTGAGE ANALYSIS
Moff th.in (1 rf|)dymfnt i.ikulalnr it provides clear ubiilar inlormatJon ihat makes
sensible analysis o1 your mortgage inveslmenl parlicularly easy with inflalton, lav.
reliel and increasing hnuse prices all bfing taken inltj account. In the present
climate of changing interest rales this is an essential aid Id planning your finances
Code (Tape) WA5 Price £10.95 Code (Disc) WA6 Price £12,95
For the BBC Micro Model B with 40/80 SS/DS disks
MULTIPLE DISC CATALOGUE
Used with eitfier Wordwise or View, insert discs one by one to produce a complete
and fully sorted talaloguo nl your whole diskette library. This can be cdiled, prinli'd
or formalletl in any manner yciu wish. Now included with the MDC is our Hisi
backup and verification utility which greatly assists the necessary task of making
secure backup copies of your diskettes.
Code WA3/4 Price £8.50
AUTO SELECT
Thi.s provides a professronai screen layout with fast automatic menu prodLiciion
from which software may be automatically loaded (CHAIN."KUN.'LOAD,''*EXEO,
Extensive use is made of pre-programmpd funtion keys which enable ROMs to be
selected easily. Bodi single and double sided drives are supported as are multiple
disc units.
Code WA1 Price £8.50
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
This [irovidcs very llevible lonlml of the Screen/Printer together with formailed list-
ings (indents and splits multiple statement lines], Extensive use is made of function
keys to give Auto-List of Error Lines, Easy Program LOAD/SAVE/VERirV etc.
Code WA2 Price £8.00
When ordering WA1, WA2. WA3/4 add £4 to total order pru e to i over i osi
of diskette (slate 40/80 tracks), post and packing;. Price ol WA5 and WA6
already includes cost ot media and package.
To Order: Ph<ine 029671-4679 or 0908-641327. or write to:
WALTON ASSOCIATES
2 Red House Close, Newton LongvMIe, MILTON KEYNES MK17 OAH
gfiMfllGMMHIIlli
And to the bugs and
the spaghetti!
With Step by Step
BASIC you learn to
write well-
structured
programs from day
1 . Programs that
work and that you
cansee will work.
Colour, sound,
graphics, hies,
sorting all included.
BBC/Electron edition (203 pp)
BBC/Electron program tape
ZX Spectrum edition (177 pp)
ZX Spectrum program tape
LIFELONG LEARNING LTD
Dept AU, 55 MILTON ROAD
CAMBRIDGE GB4 I XA
£5.95
£5.50
£5.95
£5.50
MAKE THE MOST
OFYOUR
inTERRKE
PUBLICATIONS
Acclaimed books from the
experts . . .
D Dynamic Games for your Electron
Neal Cavalier-Smith, £4,95
D 36 Challenging Games for the BBC Micro
Chns Callender and Tim Rogers £5.95
D Let Your BBC Micro Teach You to Program
TimHartnell. £6.45
D Putting Your BBC Micro to Work (includes a full
word-processing program, plus 14 others)
Chris Callender. £4.95
D Creating Adventure Programs on your Computer
Andrew Nelson, £4.95
D The Easy Way to Program Your New Computer
Tim Hartnell.
n Practical Applications for the Microcomputer
in the Home.
David Hole.
n The Art of Structured Programming
Fteterjuhff.
£3.95
£4.95
£5.95
These books are available from most book and computer
stores. In case of difficulty, order directly from us.
Interface Publications, Dept. QAU,
9-11 Kensington High Street, London W8 5NP.
Please send me the mdicated books. I enclose £
Name.
Address
mTERF4CE
PUBLICATIONS
Vl^'xe the Experts.
(TRADE ONLY, interface Publications are distribuled exclusively in the UK and
■ Eire by W H S Distributors, Export trade handled by Interface PublicatiOTis.) ■
154
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
OWELL
OF FORTUNE
'Dallas', Cases Computer Simulations,
BBC B and Electron, £6.95
YES, your worst thoughts have been
realised - a game based on the wheel-
ings and dealings of everyday oil folk in
Downtown Dallas, You are head of your
own oil company and the aim of the
game is to accumulate $200m and so
buy out the dreaded Euings - note the
subtlechange in spelling.
On the screen is a map of Texas and
you have to buy up various plots- 'con-
cessions' -so that you can drill for oil.
Seismic surveys tell you whether
there's any oil in your concession, and
if there is you then have to build rigs,
production plants and pipelines to get
the preciousstuff out of the ground.
You start out with SlOOm in cash but a
few fruitless surveys and unproductive
wells can soon have you in debt, at
which point you fall prey to a takeover
from the Euings. Actually, they seemed
to buy me out no matter what action I
took; obviously I'm not the material of
which oil barons are made.
One major drawback of the program
is that new concessions are offered for
sale at pretty infrequent intervals. If you
don't have any wells producing, there's
nothing to do but wait for a concession
to flash upon the map-
Another gripe: the inlay card's load-
ing instructions say 'Type CRUN
"DALLAS" to load program'. Not on my
Beeb you don't.
There are good serious business
games available for the Beeb, and
there are exciting 'fun' simulations. Un-
fortunately Dallas is neither - though it
does play a rather good version of the
Dallas signature tune, GeoH Nairn
REFLEX
ACTION
Fortress', Pace, BBC B, $8.95 (disc
El 1.95)
FORTRESS is an excellent version of
the arcade dazzler where you pilot a
plane over a hostile landscape, shoot-
ing everything in sight before it gets
you.
It's really a 3D version of the Rocket
Raid genre and represents the best so
far in the use of hardware scrolling. The
ground is blue, and on it is the shadow
of your own craft -which is the only
clue to your height above the ground.
Fuel is in very short supply, so you must
shoot up the enemy supplies to in-
crease your own stocks (?).
The enemy appears in the form of
rockets launched from silos, planes
which sit around waiting for you to
come to them, ack-ack batteries and
various solid obstacles such as walls.
Controls are well laid out, with
options for joystick, freezing the action,
sound on or off, and even to alter which
keys control what.
Loading presented problems, how-
ever. First a disc loaded would run, but
then the screen scrolled and wouldn't
stop. A cassette copy loaded well, but
then crashed after a few goes. Two out
of two duff copies is a bit off. Pace has
got a winner here, and it's a pity the
loading problems delayed my review,
and stopped me getting too far into it.
Fortress is a reflex game, but a
rather superior example. If you fancy
yourself as a Bobby Dazzler of the key-
board, you'll want it. TonyOuinn
ROCK WITH
THE CAVEMAN
'Frak!', Aardvark Software, BBC B
(051.2), E8.90
FRAK! introduces a new word into the
vocabulary of Beeb users. It's one of
those words you use when a favourite
game won't load from tape, but has
been coined originally by the caveman
hereof this gem from Aardvark.
He shouts it out in a large yellow
bubble whenever he falls from the
grassy sods and ladders that it is your
task to keep him on, gets pricked by one
of the arrows falling from the sky,
bumps into a monster -or is hit by a
rising pink balloon. Such are the dread-
ful fates awaiting him, at least in the
stages of the game I reached. It's a
shame he never actually shouts his
word from the Beeb's speaker, but then
perhaps he does later on,
Theoutstanding thing aboutall this is
the graphics. Sprites are used with gay
abandon, and they're the best little
sprites you ever did see. The charac-
Our hero, struck by a rising balloon, utters
his favourite curse . . .
ters could have stepped right out of a
Disney movie from the good old car-
toon days.
And when your alter ego gets one of
the monsters with his only weapon (no,
it's not a wooden club), the baddie goes
shooting off the screen. Exit right in the
extreme!
Frak! represents one of the new
wave of BBC games that are at last
living up to the machine. It is well-
crafted, amusing, and, if not totally
original, is a very far step from its
ancestors.
Only two gripes from this reviewer.
First, had I known the word Frak!, I
would have used it several times trying
to load the game from cassette. I
loaded Fortress and a couple of others
^ith no hassle, but this one took about
10 tries. (To give Aardvark its due, the
company promises immediate free re-
placement to anyone who can't load the
game.)
The other gripe was trying to ring
them to announce my (not very) high
score and find out the real high ones.
The line was engaged on eight tries
over 10 hours.
Fra/c.'will flog and flog. Go out, buy it,
put the Aardvark services to the test if
you're unlucky with your copy. This is a
classic, and who knows, a first edition
might be worth a few bob one day,
Tony Quinn
. . . But now Ue wields his deadly yo-yo, and
a monster just f-f-fades away
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
btr^o^®-
TOP ounuiv soFTiunftc
FOn TH€ ncoRN CLCanON
MIKVNNOUm £7.H
The best version available for tfie ftectron
micro, Percy is trapped man ice f^o^euJh\ch is
populated by Itie deodly Sfiobees. His only
hope of survivol is to squash ttiem by hurling
ice cubes ot them. Unfortunately, ujhenever it
seems Chcit he has uion. o deadlier breed
appeors, Hi-score. rankings, excellent
graphics and sognd,
NeLU flgL€HSe
m.wa 47.95
From the outhcx of Percy Penguin, Mr. Uliz Is a
Fost-Qction multi-scene gome. Guide Mr, UJiz
around the garden to eat the dierries ujhitst
ovoiding the evil gremlins. The gremlins can
be killed by dropping apples on them or by
throiDing the crystal ball, (.xtro points can be
goined by eating the mogic mushroom, but
beujQr6...this is the home of the gremlins and
maizes them perniar>ently furious! Sound
effects and tunes, hi-score, ronhings. Superb
orcode-styte oction,
NeUJ FieL€f1St
CMCSS «.«
fl higNy uersotile implementotion of Chess,
Ploy block or luhiteogoinst the computer or o
human opponent. The skill level of the
computer's ptay can be voned midely, and
mowes ore entered either by co-ordinates,
cursor control, orjoystictf control. Moves son be
token txitk If on error hos been mode, and the
board con be modified at any lime. Gomes
con t)e "soved" cjr "loocted", and the last gome
con be replayed The computer ujill, if
requested, suggest your moves
Neujfietertse
CfNTtaUa £T.«S
The centibug descends from the top of the
screen ujeoving tntimidntingly betuisen the
mushrooms. Vour objective is to shoot all the
segments of the centibug before if. reoches
. the bottom of the screen
Features include, spiders, snails, flies, 6 skill
levels. hi-5core, rankings, ond increosing
difficulty
nUCH MOfKHFT ^'.'.n
ft novel oftd unusuol program. flrcotte-cKtion
uiith this exciting multi-stoge shooting gome
The objective of the gome is to shoot ihe
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Fill up. Once full, the ollens fly cfoujn
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The gome feotures include: 6 skill levels,
ronkings. hi-score, increasing difficulty
STMNIMt ^l.n
fln adventure gome using hkesolution fuD-
colourgrciphics.S'ouorestrondedonQstronge
planet, and your mission is to return to
civilisotion and home. Atony of the locotions
are shoLun grophicolly, induding the
spaceship, the cliffs, the mountains, ond (if
you succeed) your home. Vou must carefully
explore your environment seorching for
hidden clues to help you in your quest.
N6LUFieL6RS€
tuoMA (KCKHwrav t./.ys
This progrom covers 166 countries which ore
divided into B cotegories of difficulty. Coch
country is pinpointed on on occurote hi-
resolution screen mop of the world, ond tt>e
user isoshed the copitol ond 'or population, fit
the end of the test, the percentage of correct
onaujers is given, so thot the student con
monitor his geographicol knowledge.
AISOAVflllABLC:
INVflDCRS £7,95
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ReV€RSI £6.95
■KALCRS - Our softujare is nouj ovotlobte atoll good dealers Including;
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^
SUPCRIOn SOFIUIARC LTD.
Dept.flU9, Regent House,
Skinner Lone, Leeds 7
Tel: 0532 459453
OUAGURRANTCC
( 1 ) Fill our soltujore is ovoiloble before uje advertise
(2) fill our softiuare is despatched Luithin 48 hours by first-class post,
(3) In the unlikely event that ony of our softujore Foils to load, return your
cassette to us ond me ujill immediotely send o replacement.
I
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
FAST AND
FURIOUS
'Overdrive', Superior Software, BBC B
(32k), £7.95
IF you've ever fancied your chances in
a Formula 1 car race. Overdrive may
give you something of the feel of being
behind the vi/heel. You have four basic
controls over the Ferrari-red vehicle at
the base of the screen; to steer left and
right, accelerate and brake. These are
smooth and responsive and the illusion
of movement created by the flashing
white kerb-markings is fairly effective.
The main challenge throughout the
five stages of the race is to avoid the
other cars as you overtake them. The
number you overtake depends on your
speed, w/hich can rise to more than
200mph, This is clocked up on an
attractive LED-style display at the top of
the screen, along with your score,
bonus points and the time remaining
for the current stage. If you haven't
achieved a high enough position on the
grid, you can't advance to the next
stage. You are very vulnerable if you
collide with another car, since this
seems a heaven-sent opportunity for
:- ! tonus
>WM «
^dfflK_y£.A^.
-'■ ■■--— i
pm^g^mmpg^^^^^uB^^^im^
9^
every other driver in the race to plough
into the back of you before you have
time to pick up speed again.
In the first stage, avoiding other cars
is fairly straightforward, as they main-
tain strict lane discipline, but after that
they start to weave in a pretty suicidal
manner (and at night too). This really is
a round-the-world trip, with different
stages running through snowfields, the
desert and along a causeway in the
middle of a lake!
A simple enough concept for a game,
but well executed with fine graphics.
The only disappointment is the lack of
any bends. The contest to produce that
on the BBC, however, is another race
altogether. Simon Williams
A SCRAMBLE FOR EGGS
'Chuckle Egg', A&F, Unit 8, CanalsJde
Industrial Estate, Woodbine Street East,
Rochdale, Lanes 0L16 5LB, BBC and
Electron, C7.90
I COULD almost say this program
needs no introduction, since it has
featured at various positions in Acorn
User's Top 20 for the past few months.
And I'm notsurprised.
Chuckle Egg is a 'platform' game in
the best tradition; you steer a rather
portly farmer along ledges, up and
down ladders and on and off lifts to col-
lect eggs and remove piles of grain
from the path of the marauding geese
factually more like emus) that pursue
you. You collect a time bonus and
points for every egg and pile of grain
picked up. A large yellow duck is held
quacking in a gilded cage at the top left-
hand corner of the screen, and comes
into its own at higher levels.
The graphics are good, though not
spectacular. Each character is only
single-colour, although quite chunky,
and the geese are well animated as
they peck at the grain.
Control is from the keyboard only,
but the keys are* redefinable, and
there's a high score table to add your
name to in all but the shortest of games.
The main attraction of the program is
that movement and control of your
playing figure is very smooth and re-
assuring. You lose lives not because
it's hard to get your figure to jump prop-
erly or line him up with ladders accu-
rately, but because you mistime your
moves and the psychopathic birds get
you. This builds up just the right amount
of annoyance to make you want to play
again.
You have five lives, so a good long
game isn't difficult to achieve.
Although not one of the most visually
exciting games around. Chuckle Eggis
certainly one I'm glad to have in my
clutch. Simon Williams
QUASIMODO'S
QUEST
'Hunchback', Superior Software, BBC B,
E7.95
THE surge in home micro sales is due
in part to the implementation of arcade
games on the micro. One such game is
Hunchback, which is as good a copy as
you could expect, Superior Software
sells the game under licence from
Ocean, who originally wrote the game
on the Commodore, and the Beeb ver-
sion is near perfect.
The object of the game is for the
hunchback Quasimodo to rescue
Esmerelda from a castle tower. To
reach her he has to get past a series of
obstructions, so we find the Hunchback
jumping across the ramparts or leaping
Tarzan-style onto a swinging rope to
reachtheotherside.
To make life more difficult as the
game progresses, guards with spears
appear, and boulders and arrows
threaten our hero from both sides. The
game has 12 different screens, though
the setting is one of two basic types.
The object within each is for Quasi-
modo to cross the screen from left to
right to pull the bell rope on the right-
hand side. The screens vary In their
difficulty and the user can choose
which screen to start from, and three
different levels of play are available.
The sound effects are adequate but
an option to turn them off is sadly miss-
ing. Unusually, and pleasantly, only
three keys are used, and these are con-
veniently laid out for ease of use. The
game can be played on keyboard or joy-
sticks and includes a high score table.
The only fault with the software was
the sideways scrolling across to the
next screen which fails dismally. The
movement is very jerky.
That said. I thoroughly enjoyed
Hunchback and I'm pleased that my
local pub is no longer reapmg the bene-
fits of my addiction. Dee Vince
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Available to you with Nightingale, the new
multi- function rppdem from Pace.
Nightingale is by far the most versatile modem "■
available, at the price, for either home or
business use. It offers Prestel/ Viewdata
baud rates (1200/75 & 75/1200)
alongside 300/300 baud full duplex
for communication between the
BBC and other computers, ;.!*■««*
including bulletin boards.
Nightingale will operate at
both European and Bell
frequencies for com-
patibility with CCITT si-
and American systems. m
The state-of-tha-art
modem chip technology em-
ployed in Nightingale requires
minimal support circuitry resulting in low-
power consumption, low cost,' high quality
and extreme reliability.
Nightingale being 'hard wired' is not subject to the noise
interference errors common to outdated acoustically coupled
devices. In addition Nightingale features a simple self test facility for
easy installation.
Nightingale utilises a fully buffered RS 423/232 serial interface
and is supplied complete with a lead suitable for connection to the
BBC micro, other leads are available on request.
However, in order to use such a versatile modem to its fullest
potential, you will require equally sophisticated software. This is
where Pace can offer you a total solution — Commstar,
unquestionably the most comprehensive communica-
tions software available for the BBC.
Supplied on Eprom, Commstar is instantly accessible,-
simple to use and extremely flexible. Just look at the
possibilities:-- access Prestel,. Micronet, Viewfax,
Homelink and Telecom Gold, ttimmage through bulletin'
boards and chat to literally thousands of other computer' •
users, but there's nVore. Commstar can be used to ^
emulate specific terminal types such as VT 100' by-'
means of a configuration disc, thus providing th^S|
opportunity to use the BBC as an inexpensive worJi^B
station for a main frame or mini-computer. -^
The complete Nightingale/Commstar package for the
BBC micro including the modem, cabling and the
Commstar Eprom and manual is just £139 plus V.A.T.
Nightingale is available separately for the BBC and other
computers at £119 plus V.A.T. and Commstar is
£29.57 plus V.A.T. Further details are available, please
telephone or write for comprehensive fact sheets.
PACE SOFTWARE LTD.
92 NEW CROSS STREET,
BRADFORD BD5 8BS.
Tel. {0274)729306 Telex 51564
This modem
communication'!
not yei B.A.B.T
1
1
HIGHRESOUniON
THAT COMES
HIGHU RECOMMEIOEDt
"There is no doubt that the JVC range of ECM
colour monitors is excellent value for money . . .
there is no loss in quality of picture after long
periods . . . and remember, as more and more
resolution is available with new micros, the need
for a better display will be that much greater."
High recommendation indeed from Personal
Computer News. Meanwl^ile Acorn User said;
"It seems that all 'normal' and 'medium'
resolution monitors, including the Sanyo, are
simply inadequate to deal with the Beeb's graphics
and text output . . . The JVC was excellent, giving
clear, legible results . . . Was the JVC better than the
Microvitec?' Would I buy one? Yes to both
questions."
Our RGB higli resolution colour monitor (580 X
470 pixels) sells for ^229-95 (excluding VAT}- that's a
saving of over cfclOO compared with other leading monitors
of similar specifications.
The unit has a 14" screen and is suitable for the
BBC Micro, Electron, Sinclair QL, Lynx, Oric, Apple, IBM
and most other leading micros,
And naturally there s a year's full guarantee.
If you order your monitor by post^ you'll receive it
within ten days by courier service.
Simply post the coupon below to: Opus Supplies Ltd.,
158 Camberwell Road, London SES OEE. Or telephone
01-701 8668 quoting your credit card number. Or, of course,
you can buy at our showroom between 9-00-6.00pm,
Monday-Fridav 9.00-1.30pm. Saturday
'Micruvitcc Cub 14' monitor.
MOI )EL KEH-RiiNn-
I.HI2 2 llijih Ki-,soluiii>[i
HKSOU'TION
=i8iixP0Pi\eLs
CRi;
i-i"
SI.II'HLY
2i0/240v'. SO/feOHz,
EIIT
Miiiiiinini 19 Skv Maximum 22 5kv'
VlDKOB/WDWrmH
lOMl iz
DLSOA'
80 charaaers by 25 lines
SiXTI" PITCH
0.41mm
INPLT: VIDEO
RG.B. Analugue'Tll. Input
S^'NC
Separate Sviic on K.G ti. Piisili\e or Ncgati\f
KX'lERN-y.CONTROI-S
On/off swiit'li and briglittie.ss cuntrol
To: Opus Supplies Ltd., 158 Camberwell Road. London SE5 OEE.
Please send me:
High Resolution Colour Monitor(s) at
£229.95 each (ex. VAT).
Medium Resolution Colour Monitor(s) at
£179-95 each (ex. VAT).
Connection lead(s) at £6,00 each.
I understand carriage per monitor will cost an extra £7.00.
(N.B. A High Resolution Monitor including VAT, lead, and cwriage
costs £279.39. A Medium Resolution Monitor including VAT, lead
and carriage costs £221.89).
I enclose a cheque for £ Or please debit my credit card
account witli the am(.)unt of £ My Access/Barclaycard
(please tick) no. is .
Please state the make of your computer .^
Name _
AC26
Address-
Telephone,
I )pLi.s Supplies l.(d.
L
J
The name of the
Game...
..IS COMING!
BASIC
COMPILER
Turns your basic programs into
really fast machine code. The compiler
is very easy to use, and comes
complete with full instructions.
For the BBC model B, or Model A
with 32k.
Cassette
Disk
(40 TRACK)
£17.95
£19.95
Cheque/P.O. or SAE for details to
ACK Data
21 Salcombe Drive, Redhill,
Nottingham, NG5 8JF
Tel. (0602) 262498 (outside office hours,
vHrixm
Glasgow
Authorised
acorn A dealer
B.B.C. B & acorn
electron
Disk Drives, Printers, Joysticks,
Acornsoft, Data Recorders, Monitors,
Adds ons by Pace, Torch etc.
^;°]@[^ton) Group Dealer
tootM, Vhe. Amm, Hwi
340 Argyle Street
BetwMn Cwitrol Station and And«nton Bus Station
Glasgow G2
Tel:041-2218058
SCOTLAN D
£ inc VAT
ACORN ELECTRON £199.00
BBC MODEL B £399.00
BBCMODELB + DISK INTERFACE £469.00
Z80 2nd PROCESSOR £299.00
CUMANA DISK DRIVES FROM £160.00
EPSON FX80 PRINTER £420.00
EPSON RX80 F/T PRINTER £295.00
ALSO WIDE RANGE OF
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All prices Include VAT.
CARRIAGE £8.00 per unit.
mEST CDflST
PERSDnfiL CamPUTERS
47 Kyle Street. Ayr KA7 1 RS
Telephone (0292) 285082
160
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
UPHILL STRUGGLE WITH TURBO
Turbo Compiler, Salamander Software,
17 Norfolk Road, Brighton, Sussex BN1
3AA, BBC, £9.95
THE prospect of producing a machine
code program without having to write
directly in assembler has always been
attractive. One way to achieve this is to
work in a compiling language such as
Fortran or Pascal, but, leaving aside
the necessity to learn a language other
than Basic, there are as yet no full im-
plementations of these languages for
the BBC micro. The alternative is to
compile the Basic code itself, and this,
to an extent, is what the Turbo compiler
tries to do.
The compiler resides in only 2k of the
micro's RAM. so it is possible to have
source and object code co-resident in
the machine. This means that code
doesn't have to be compiled from tape
or disc. Once compiled, the code may
be used independently of Turbo, either
as a subroutine in a Basic program, or
as free-standing machine code.
Turbo will compile only a limited
subset of BBC Basic and this is perhaps
its biggest problem. Keywords handled
directly by the compiler are AND,
CALL, CLG. CLS, END. EOR, FOR, GET,
GOTO, GOSUB. IF, INKEY, LET. MID$,
MODE, NEXT. OR, PRINT, REM,
RETURN. SOUND, THEN and TO. In
addition, the operators ?. ! and S are
supported.
Although the well-produced user
guide lists some 65 keywords that may
be compiled by Turbo, most of these
are only achieved by 'fiddling' the
syntax of others. For example, the
COLOUR statement must first be trans-
lated into its equivalent VDU statement;
COLOUR 3 would become
VDU&11,&03.
Turbo handles only Integer numbers
and these must be in hex. Variables are
restricted to the resident integers A%
to Z% and these may only be assigned
values in the range to 255. Line
numbers must also lie within this range
and multi-statement lines are not per-
mitted.
The publicity suggests that Turbo is
an ideal intermediate stage between
interpreted Basic and machine code,
and it requires a fairly intimate know-
ledge of the MOS to be able to ' prepare'
a program for compilation. Comparing
the short program (listing 1) in its orig-
inal and prepared forms gives some
idea of the effort required to use it.
Whether you feel the speed increase
{in this case about 25 per cent) is worth
the extra effort is up to you. I would
rather wait for a more comprehensive
compiler that made the machine do a
larger proportion of the work.
Simon Williams
MULTI-AID PUTS
TOGETHER THREE
UTILITY PROGRAMS
Multi-Aid by Dynabyte Software, £7.95
MULTI-AID consists of three utility pro-
grams, chained from an initial index
program. The utilities are 'Character',
'Soundlab' and 'Graph?', each of which
will be dealt with individually. The
package comes with a small but com-
prehensive and simple booklet, and
two function key strips.
'Character' is a useful utility for creat-
BEFORE
10 MODE 2
20 FOR NX=1 TO 255
30 GCOL0,t^
40 MOVE NX, 1023
50 DRAW N'X,0
6& NEXT
70 COLOUR 130
AFTER
10MODE2
2eFORNX=ei0 1TOfe£FF
30»v'DL^i2,fti00,N'/.
40'v>DUfci 19 ,&f04 ,NX ,4^00 ,^FF ,&£03
50VDUa<19,fti0 5,N7.,ai00,fc<00,»^0
60NEXT
70 VDU&tl 1,4(82
S0 UDU28,4,31 , 19,0, 12 80VDU^ IC ,ft£04 ,^ 1 F ,&. 1 3 ,6(00 ,4^00
90 END
90 END
Listing 1 . A short Basic program before and after compiling on the Turbo
ing multi-coloured, simple or multiple
characters, and can be used in all BBC
graphics modes except mode 7. You
first select the foreground and back-
ground colours from a menu of eight
colours. Modes 1. 2 and 5 allow three
foreground colours and the other two-
colour modes allow only one. You then
choose the size of the character you
wish to create in multiples of the stan-
dard eight by eight pixel block. This will
of course depend on the mode selec-
ted, as explained in the booklet; for
example, in mode 2 you can create
characters of up to two by three blocks.
Having selected this you then define
the ASCII code for your first character
(between 128 and 255) and you are then
ready to begin. To create a large
number of multiple characters you will
need to use non-standard ASCII codes
and will require to explode the charac-
ter set memory before starting. The use
of •FX20 to do so is clearly explained in
the booklet.
The next step is to select the option to
define new characters or edit existing
ones. In either case, each character is
displayed normal size, and eight limes
normal for working on. All you now
need to do is move around the display
area using the cursor keys and set the
pixels as required using the function
keys for the desired colour. Another
useful function controlled by these keys
is the ability to copy a character, simple
or multiple, to the next equivalent ASCII
codes/memory area, effectively dupli-
cating it You can then carry on editing
to make minor alterations for, say, ani-
mation, and avoid recreating the whole
character. Similarly, you can list the
resulting VDU23 statements, each of
which also illustrates the character,
and 'SPOOL them to use in programs.
The booklet also explains how to
recombine the VDU commands into the
whole characters within any program.
One criticism is that you are not able to
use flashing colours. Another is that if
you totally 'fill' the memory, you get a
Too few characters left' message, from
which you have to escape and re-run
the program. However, you don't lose
any of the work you've done as long as
the same parameters are used.
'Soundlab' is a comprehensive utility
for exploring sound and envelope com-
mands by creating or editing your own
commands or using the examples pro-
vided. It allows up to seven envelope
and nine sound commands (including
channel 0). The facilities for editing
(including any one of the seven sound
parameters individually), playing
sounds singly or in sequence, killing a
sound, altering any parameter whilst a
sound is actually playing and so on,
make it a very flexible utility. As with
the 'Character' routine, all the created
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
ATTRACTIONS
£189.
GEMINHOX
95
+ VAT = £21 8.44
120 cps • Bi-Directional
Logic Seeking • Friction
Tractor and Rolf Holder
Standard •
Downloadable Characters
• Ultra High Resolution
• 80cois« IBM PC
version now available.
r FIDEUTY
12 MHZ Video Bandwidth
RGB and Composite Video
L I 09.if3 = £195.44
LOOK!
14INCH COI UUK .VIONirOR
NEW LOWER PRICES ON
EPSON STAR & BROTH ER
DAISYWHEEL PRINTERS
BROTHER HR 15 E349.95 + VAT
JUKI 6100 £325 + VAT:
DAISYSTEP 2000 £225 + VAT .
STAR POWERTYPE £328.95 + VAT^
EPSON DX100 £369.95 + VAT^
DOT MATRIX PRINTERS
EPSON RX 80 £198.95 + VAT^
EPSON RX 80 F/T £228.95 + VAT ^
EPSON RXlOO £384.95 + VAT ^
EPSON FX80 £319.95 + VAT^
EPSON FX 1 00 £498.95 + VAT ^
STARGEMINI-10X £189.95 + VAT^
STAR DELTA 1 £31 9.95 + VAT ^
STAR RADIX 10 £498.95 + VAT^
THERMALMATRIX PRINTERS
STAR STX 80 £1 29.95 + VAT ^
BROTHER HR5 £129.95 + VAT =
BROTHER EP44 £216.95 + VAT =
Cables- Paper- Ribbons- Sheet Feeders
Tractor Feeds - I nterfaces - Call for Best Prices
^£402.44
= £373.75
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CREDIT CARD
HOTLINE
01-4821711
V/SA
PLEASE ADD £10 + VAT FOR DELIVERY
POST YOUR CHEQUES/P.O.'s TO:
DATASTAR SYSTEMS UK
UNICOM HOUSE. 1 82 ROYAL COLLEGE STREET
LONDON NW1 9NN
Telex 295931 UNICOM G
TAX-FREE EXPORT & DEALER
ENQUIRIESWELCOME
SOFTWARE BONANZA
50, YES, 50 HIGH QUALITY GAMES
AT SUPER LOW PRICES.
BONAN/.,^ INCLUDES:
Haunlcd Mansion: A /till lolour 3D hi nrwluiinn gmpliics luhcimin- giinw iivV/i im-r 41/0
nn'im.
30 Space Ranger: /I lull cokiur 3D simuUilkm where yi>u urv a xptice pilot In the mtikt
(•I iniergiilariic wiir/an'.
Arcade Games: Such u.\ Chiippi'r Aiitick. Meteors. Dr. Who. Zax.xon, Spider.
Bn-iikmil. Tank Bunk. Siih Killer, Trim, .Sniper, Speed Trail.
Kiiighl Riiltr unil mony muiiy more loo numtTiMn in meiiiion.
Sinh us ESI', Miisler Mind. 30 N<Highls & Cri).\t.e\. Sliding Letters
tilld much mure.
Such a.\ Dicitilor which puis ymi in tin- /iih o/ ruliiif; u .small republic.
\lind (iamcs:
Adventures:
All 50 fun packed games supplied alt on one tape Tor (he RBC model B iit only £7.95 the lot.
(All tapes supplied with FREE instruciinns to transfer to disc)
20 KDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS: in u whole ho.-<l ot suhiects meludins malk-<.
physic.-i. chemistry, geogruphy. hi.ilory. bio-
logy iind others Many programs make lull
u.\e I'l hi-re^nlulion ^rapliicy li}r added
interest. All the educational software you will
ever need for your BBC{B)ul only:
£7.95 on tape
£9.95 on disc (411 ur 80 track)
Business Pack:
Business pack only:
,-(// siiflwore \miuhle lor die BBC mode! li
Contains nil the hiisine.ss sojlware you could
ptissihiy want, to run a small hu.\iness. The
pack includes: spreadsheet . word-processor,
payroll, VAT. aecounis and a niuiti purpose
databim:
£17,95 on tape
£ 19.95 on disc (state 40 or 80 track)
SOFTWARE WANTED for any micro High Royalties, or outright cash pay-
ment made.
SEND SAMPI.FS NOW!
DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME
Semt i hfcjiies to:
RANJAN. Dept. AU, 3 Wenslev Close. Harpetiden, Herts ALS IR2.
(ALL GOODS DESPATCHED IN 3 to 4 DAVS)
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT/MSc in SOCIAL POLICY
We have recently introduced a micro-computer opiion into
our MSc Research Programme, and are looking for good
honours graduates, working in the public services, who wish
to develop computer programs for professional purposes.
The programmes includes both software development and
an evaluation of its effects in practice, leading to the sub-
mission of a program and dissertation for an MSc degree.
We have both full-time (one year) and part-time (2 years)
options. If you work in the social services, probation, edu-
cation, health service or any other part of the public sector,
and wish to develop expert systems, data bases, computer
aided learning packages, etc, please contact:
Sue Isaac, Course Administrator, Department of Social
Policy, School of Policy Studies, Cranfield Institute of
Technology, Cranfield, Bedford MK43 OAL. Tel (0234) 750111,
ext 3198.
PROGRAMMERS
Have you wondered why the top programmers stick with
Kansas year after year, even way back from Ihe Tandy days?
It IS because they get a good deal, knowing that in no way will
they be 'ripped off.
But most of all they know that as we were Ihe very first soft-
ware publishers in the business, we will still be around long
after today's crop of cowboys are long gone.
Our commiserations if you have supplied a program to one of
the dozens of software companies who have now gone out of
business, stuck with no royalties and no chance of interesting
anyone else with a 'second hand' program.
If you have an exceptional new program, consider allowing
Kansas to market it for you, getting a genuine 25% royalty, but
most of all. peace of mind , . .
KANSAS CITY SYSTEMS
Unil 3, Sutton Springs Wood, Chesterfield. 0246 850357
162
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
This tap* contatm :-
! CHftl^flCTER . For defining largr
Multu coloured characters.
2 T:CiVHCLi''3 For »xF»riiii«il Ir^
uith sound vffvctE
3-GRAPH7 A »ode 7 graphics
Ipulatlon program.
commands can be listed and incorpor-
ated in your own program.
'Graph?' is yet another mode 7
screen generator for creating text,
graphic or combined teletext screens.
It makes use of the function keys on
their own and in conjunction with the
control and shift keys. Once you get the
hang of it, it's quite easy and efficient-
Special functions allow you to save up
to 24 screens in memory at one time,
and to switch between them. You can
also *LOAD previous screens to look at
or edit, and 'SAVE or "SPOOL any
screen to include in your own pro-
grams.
The package requires the 1.2 OS, but
will work with either Basic. I would
class it as one of the better utilities
available; it is comprehensive and
good value for money. If you do not
already have any of these facilities, this
is one I would definitely recommend.
Ian Rowlings
HELPING HAND IN
CALCULATIONS
'Titrations' by Shaw, Melia and Ellis,
System Software, Arnold Wheaton, BBC,
£14 plus VAT {tape and disc versions)
THIS very thorough and professional
program provides 'a means for
students to self-check the results of cal-
culations associated with some acid
base and acid carbonate reactions'. II
is designed so that the student who has
difficulty in accurately rendering thi-
calculations may be guided through the
process in a structured way.
The student using Titrations needs to
be familiar with molarity and the way in
which it relates to concentration. It is
recommended that the students have a
calculator handy -I certainly needed
one. They are presented with the
choice of dealing with figures supplied
by themselves from their own experi-
mental data or of using computer-
generated problems as revision and
remedial material.
Two levels of difficulty are available
and, after choosing, the pupil will be
asked to calculate either a molarity or a
volume. When errors occur the
machine branches into a HELP routine
appropriate to the point in the equation
that caused the difficulty. Continual fail-
ure to understand the help given
results in the machine performing the
calculation itself step-by-step, with the
parts of the equation being operated
highlighted. The program is patient,
perceptiveand persistent.
Although it is not very striking
visually -it's all printed in cyan text on
a black background-this perhaps
underlines the serious intent of the pro-
gram. It is designed to be used as a
scientific tool and has no fancy frills.
However, a print-out facility might have
been useful so that the results, especi-
ally of pupils' own calculations and
experiments, could have been taken
away as hard copy.
Titrations is a robust and efficient
program that uses the simple tech-
niques of repetitive reinforcement to
enable students to attain high stan-
dards of accuracy in their equations.
Nick Evans
SURREAL
PHRASEBOOK
'The Storyline', Daco Software, 59 Mack-
enzie Road, Moseley, Birmingham B11
4EP (021 -449 2253), BBC, £7.95
THE STORYLINE is a text-handling pro-
gram that enables a budding Shake-
speare to produce some most peculiar,
although strangely fascinating, stories.
I am sure that the original intention of
the program was for the child using it to
^create sense in a normally acceptable
"fashion, but the side-effect is that the
text produced by the program has a
strangesurrealist quality about it:
7 rang the bell. Tlien, a thin clown
saved me and then the thing dodged
it. In the end. it walked out of my
head. '
The seven-year-old T S Eliot who
One day the b^y giant ate the
pram. My mum hid under it. But, a
tall boy pushed hi<i and then I
ran from the thing. Long after, it
ualked out of a nest. Stiffly,
one nore pretty frog uas lost in
the pram.
created this masterpiece was fasci-
nated by the weird atmosphere and
unreal quality that this sort of 'random
text' produced. Of course, it need not
necessarily be totally random since the
child who is using the program governs
what goes into it at each stage.
There are two levels of operation,
with vocabulary of varying degrees of
difficulty. The words to be chosen are
flashed one by one on the screen and
you may choose to keep the word by
pressing *X' or try another by pressing
any other key.
On pressing X' the word is trans-
ferred to the top of the screen in the
next position available in the sentence
under construction. One thing that my
test-pilot found to be a problem was
that if. in his enthusiasm, he made a
wrong choice there was no way of
deleting the chosen word - in fact, edit-
ing facilities are nil, which severely
limits its use. You may send the whole
story to the printer at any point or view
it on the screen. After printing, the
same story may be continued or
anotherstarted-
The program centres around the use
of data, accessed line by line, in a syn-
tactically governed order. So. for
example, the opening may be 'Long
ago' or 'One day' or 'Once' or any
others out of a selection of ten choices
within each phrase's data line. Then
comes the definite article, followed by
an adjective and then the subject noun.
a verb and finally a direct object. This
structure varies as the program pro-
gresses.
The Storyline is a most interesting
program with great possibilities at the
junior school and remedial levels.
Nick Evans
CHARACTER MATCH
'Alphabet' by D J Millidge, Opalsoft,
£9.95
THIS program, which comes in two
parts on cassette, claims to 'stimulate
the interest of children of all ages,
especially beneficial to those learning
their ABC. It does this by the use of the
extensive graphics facilities of the
BBC, which are used with some
imagination. The presentation is
pleasant and does not distract from the
task in hand. But here's a problem-
what is the task in hand?
A child of, say. four or five years old
who has just started learning to read is
expected to look at the picture dis-
played on the screen and associate that
picture with one of four lower-case let-
ters that are presented in a row under-
neath it. The question is whether it is
either educationally valid to make
associations between letter shapes
and printed words rather than between
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Yodd have to spend over
£3000 to beat our
£199 Second Processor.
The I^BC Micro is already one of the
lastest and most powerful micros around.
But with the addition of the 6502 Second
FVocessor, it becomes the fastest micro in its
price ran^e.
(To be fair to the opposition, their
£3000+ package includes a disc drive. But a
similitr BB(^ Micro set-up with the 6502 Second
Processor will cost you less than a third!)
The 6502 greatly expands the Micros
usable memoiy. Its 64K of RAM combines
with the BBC Micros 32K, for a total of 96K.
It is supplied with its own special
version of BBC BASIC called Hi-BASIC.
which allows the maximum amount of this
memory to be used for BASIC programs
and variables. Other languiiges allow some
or all ol this memory to be used for
programs, and manv will auto-
matically adjust themselves to
make maximum use of avail-
able space.
Whats more, the 6502
uses the same microprocessor as the BBC
Micro,butata much higherspeed. Which
meansprogramscan run up to 50% faster.
The 6502*s extra power enables it to run
more powerful software, such as that provided
with the Acorn Bitstick, which turns the BBC
Micro into a versatile computer graphics
station. In fact, it has a variety of features
usually lound only on much larger systems.
It can also exploit the full potential of
lo(^al area networking through the luont^t
system, with Level 2-File Sei-ving.
So to get the most from your BBC Micro,
get the 6502 Second Processor.
The 6502 Second Processor is available
from '*'*(' stockist. For the address of
your nearest
supplier, ring
01-200 0200.
If you wish to order
by credit card,
nhone 0993 79300
(hi ring office hours.
> Catch »
me if you
can. I'
6502 l)cv<'lopm('nt Pro g rams
( availahlc scperatrly )
MASM: A 6502 macro-assembler. A hill ranm' of
I?
macro facilities arc provided, including looping
rccursivi' calls and conditional assembly.
XRRF: A cross- referencer to be used in conjunc-
tion with MASM.
VicwEdil: A full screen editor based on the VIEW
word processor.
TRACE: A 6502 trace package for de-bugging all
types oi program.
PRINT; A program to produce formatted
assembly listings without using MASM.
The package is provided with a 250-page manual
describing all the facilities provided by the system.
Technical Specifications
1 he Second Processor operates at a clock rate of
3MHz. A version 1.2 MOS will need to be fitted
into the BBC Micro before operating the 6502.
Integral power supply
Measurements; 205mm x 345mni
Weight; 2.1kg
Colour: BBC Computer cream
Construction: Moulded lop and bottom to match
BBC Computer profile. ABS injection moulded
plastic.
Power in: 240v,50Hz,3w.
The BBC Microcomputer System.
Dcsifined, produrtd and diHlribulcd bv Arorn Compulcrs l.iniid'd.
I
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
letter sounds and aurally received
words when the child is at the 'ABC
stage, or whether it is indeed possible
for the brain of a child so young to make
that'leap'.
Having chosen the letter the child
then moves an arrow using the cursor
control keys until it is positioned
roughly under the letter and presses
COPY (why not RETURN?) in order to
confirm his choice. If the choice is
wrong a large cross appears, the word
itself is displayed under the picture and
the correct letter highlighted. The
wrongly answered picture is later
returned to and the process continues
till all pictures are covered.
Another problem, which arises with
all programs ol this type, is that the
characters displayed in the book are
not compatible with those on the
screen. Nor are the pictures in the book
compatible with those in the program -
"t' for tree inthe bookandfortardis (!) in
the program.
These inconsistencies appeared in
the first part of the program and were
then corrected in the second part when
the letters were done again.
All in all it was a peculiar program; a
shame as the graphics and sound were
fun. Nick Evans
BATTLE LINES
'Battletank'. Superior Software, BBC B
(32k), £7.95
CONSIDERING the amount of memory
available on the BBC when using hi-res
graphics, it is something of a wonder
that anyone should try to mimic a game
as graphically complex as Battle Zone.
The arcade original employs vector-
scanning techniques in a similar way to
an oscilloscope. To simulate this on the
Beeb requires some pretty complex
line-drawing algorithms, and unfortu-
nately this shows in Battletank.
For those who don't know the scen-
ario, you move a rather futuristic tank
around an isolated plateau, taking pot-
shots at any enemy tanks you can get in
your sights. Battletank doesn't sport
the landers and flying saucers of the
original, but does add a colour
element. Control is via keyboard only-
the game wouldn't lend itself to joy-
sticks anyway. The main problem is
that everything moves rather slowly
and jerkily. It is very difficult to get the
opposing tank into your sights, not
because of its agility but due to the
resolution of screen movement. To
achieve reasonable tank speed, Super-
ior has had to make each movement
step quite large. The same is true for
the scrolling of the landscape.
The program appears to have been
written in mode 5, a decision I would
question in view of the greater resol-
ution available in mode 4. Since the
original game is in only one colour, it
would perhaps have been a better bet
to stick to this scheme and drawn more
accurate tanks and pyramids.
I have a lot of admiration for the pro-
gramming skill involved in writing Bat-
tletank, but still feel the game loses its
interest quite quickly because of the
lack of variety. Simon Williams
UNICORN
< page 14 1
necessary, according to Torch, to attain
compatibility with other products. A
sound reason, but it slows down the
operation of some Unix facilities to an
almost unacceptable extent.
In other words, the 256k memory and
8MHz 68000 processor are just about
capable of handling Unix successfully;
put the bottleneck of the 6502 between
them and the vital hard disc, and some
processes become seriously delayed.
This problem might be overlooked
were it not for the way it interacts with
other, apparently minor, deficiencies.
We have already mentioned that press-
ing BREAK loses the whole Unix
session, and this is more annoying
when it takes four minutes (no less!) to
log on. When using the screen editor
'vi', the regular transfer of data to disc,
unnoticeable on most systems, takes
about three seconds on the Unicorn,
This means that suddenly the letters
you are typing fail to appear on the
screen, and a three second delay
occurs before they do, all in a rush. This
happens once a line, not once a page.
Since the whole idea of a screen editor
is that the things you type appear on the
screen immediately as well as going to
memory, this is somewhat annoying.
Given that Torch is unlikely to
change the architecture to the extent of
eliminating the hard disc bottleneck,
the company could perhaps recognise
the data transfers to make them less in-
trusive in the contect of interactive pro-
cesses such as text input and editing.
This is a relatively minor change, and
the kind of thing Torch should have put
right much earlier. For non-interactive
processes it is not so annoying, though
it still slows things down.
Otherwise the Unicorn provides an
impressive, low-cost introduction to
Unix, All that you might expect is there
(even 'YACC, the Unix compiler-com-
piler) bar the tutorial and manual facili-
ties usually found on big systems.
These would have used up too much
disc space, and Torch wisely decided
to concentrate on good-quality printed
manuals rather than wasting disc
space putting the information in the
machine.
The slowness of the hard disc trans-
fers belied the speed of execution of the
68000: timing tests showed that it was
doing okay provided it didn't have to
wait for the 6502 to transfer a big lump
of data for it. Usually that was the down-
fall of the execution times.
Overall the system was impressive
but slow. Torch has one or two things it
should definitely sort out (principally
the BREAK key and the regular hang-
ups in 'vi' for disc transfers), but the
problem of the slow hard disc transfers
is probably built-in. It wilt be interesting
to see what happens in a 512k or 1Mb
machine,
A good buy? Possibly. There are
systems costing less than twice the
price that I think are probably twice as
good. But there is no route to Unix quite
as cheap as the Unicorn. When the
Acorn 16032 second processor comes
out, ostensibly providing Xenix (from
floppy discs?) at around the £1,000
mark. Unicorn will no longer be the
cheapest. Even then, however, it
seems likely that we will be getting
roughly what we pay for in every case.
The likely market is difficult to pin
down. The Unicorn is not really for
business use, unless the business
happens to be software or at least has
somebody around who can make use of
Unix, It cannot be used by more than
one person simultaneously, but is out
of reach of all but the richest hobbyist.
The serious systems programmer or
small software house is the most likely
target, and the university or college
microcomputer section. Yet for most of
us it will probably seem too slow.
So you might be a foolish virgin to go
for Unicorn. On the other hand, it is one
way of becoming a wise virgin, in the
sense of getting genuine interactive
experience of Unix.
The trouble is, to achieve the wisdom
of Solomon, you may need the patience
of Job,
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
The Electron
has added even more
strings to its bow
,:■]
The hst of top quality soft-
ware for the Acorn Electron is
growing all the time.
As you can see, there^s already
an outstanding selection of excit-
ing programs covering everything
from monsters to music and
murder to marriage guidance.
And ultimately, the Electron
will enjoy a range of software as
comprehensive as that of its
illustrious big brother, the much-
acclaimed BBC Micro.
You'll hnd all the programs
featured here at your local Acorn
stockist (To fmd out where that
is, simply call 01-200 0200.)
Alternatively, you can send
off for the Electron catalogue
and order through the post by
writing to Acomsoft, c/o Vector
Marketing, Denington Estate,
Wellingborough, Northants
NN8 2RL. Tel: 0933 79300.
GRAPHICS: Graphs & Charts,
Creative Graphics, Picture Maker.
BUSINESS: Personal Money
Management, Desk Diary.
EDUCATION: Tree of
Knowledge, Peeko-Computer,
Business Games.
LANGUAGES: LISP, FORTH,
S-Pascal, Turtle Graphics.
GAMES: Starship Command,
Monsters, Chess, Draughts and
Reversi, Snapper, Meteors,
Hopper, Sphinx Adventure,
Arcadians, Free FaU.
QUIZZES: Theatre Quiz,
Crime and Detection Quiz,
Music Quiz, History Quiz,
Science Fiction Quiz, t . . I Do',
The Dating Game.
CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL
SOFTWARE: Happy Numbers,
Timeman One, Timeman Two,
Wordhang, Happy Letters,
Map Rally.
>1C0RNSeR
Electronequip
(Authorised BBC Dealer, and service centre)
SBC Cassctie Suliwdie
6CADF00T Arljtuive dpuitiat) MjnjnEi
aCAFBOlJN flStSolimieBoiiiiLer
BCAFCHIC A & f SnllwerB CWMhi Ug
BCAFCYLO A K f Siillwart i;ylari Ailscl,
BCAFFHOG Aid f SufMjre Frogge.
BCAfHORFi a&FSnhw<)ipHo(ro/C3ille
BMHOWS A&FSo(l*areHowsMl
BCAFPAIN A S f Softw.f Pjmrp.
BCAf PHAR A » f Soirwaii' Phauohi iomli
6CAFPLAN AS (So(l*a(f Planes
HCAFSHRI A S f SdIiwjip Shrinking ProltESOi
BCAlADVt Aifviriuiite Iniemdiional Adueniurelinil
BCAIPIRA AdvtiiiiiiBlmc^iaiionalPiraieAaMHiiute
BCAIStCH AilvCTlute Imeiniitional Seciel Musion
HCAIVDOD Adventure Inretnjrional tfuodDB Cssiie
BCAKmil ASK thttdieo from Space IXBEtBl
BCAKCHAN ASK Dsntiv (XBE Wl
BMKfACE ASKFawmakerfKBElOl
aCAKHIDf ASKHid^SSpekixefni
BCAKltIS ASKleuCiifinllXSfl?)
BCAKNUMC ASK NurahB' Cliaser IXSE 1 5 1
BCAKNIIM:; AKK Numbet Guide' IKBR 1 J I
8CAKNUMP ASKNumheihi/zieFlXBEMI
BCAKlAliL ASK IdWe Adventures IXBtl 81
ECAKWORD ASKWorrls WoriJv Wprds IX8Et9l
HCALABM Atligara Sotlmare AHM ILasei Connnaiidl
BMiBUG Alliyaia Suliwaie Bl4gge<
BCAIBUGB Allmarj SoDwar* Bug Biasiet
RCALCOSM Alhyaia SnHwaie Cosmic Asretoid?
BCAlDflMB AlligaiaSuliwaieOambusieis
BCALtACL Alligaia Soltware Eagle Empire
BCAtFHUI AtligaraSoliwarefiuKMarhinelBOOfil
BCAUIINA flilipia Software lunar Resnie (BOD 1 1
aCAMAl GE AmpalsQlr Clieslurf Cai Algobr j level
HCAMARI1 Ariifialsoh Ghesline Cai Arritrnielic I«vbI
BCAWCAl t Arnpjlsuli Chesline Cai CalculusO level
aCAMCONS AmpalsolT Cheshire Cai Cwstruciron 0'
eCAMGFtAP Ampalsoli tliMhire Cai Graphs level
BCAMMAT1 Ampal^iih Clieshrie Cai Malhs ' 0" level 1
BCAWMAI? Amualso'i Che^hrie Cat Maths level 2
HCAMIBIG AmfislsDli Cheshire Cai TrtgiinDmeirv
BCASUIOP AcoEFiioli lOOPiDgran.staraBCMrciQ
eWSAAtl Ai;o(nsiit1 Arcade Ai:iiDn|SBGOB)
BCASARtlA A[0msD(1ArcadtanslSBGi4l
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Prugiaro Power Bandits at 3 nr.lock
Pregram Power Barrage loi BBC
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Program Pawoi Caveman Adventure
Program Puwei BBC CfieiS 1 1 fiKl
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Progiam Powei Chess
Program Power Cunslellalion
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Piogiam Power Cowboy Shoot nut
Progiam Power Cioalier
Program Power Cyberttou Misston (Bl
Program Power 13angei' UXB
Prngrani Power Demaii Decoiator IPainleij
Ping ram Power BBC Disassemblei
Progiam Power EldmadoGoldlAdveniuiel
Program Power Escape from M base Alpha
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Program Pnvrer labyrinths ol la Coshe
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TOMPUTER
Electronequip
36-38 West Street, Fareham, Hants
BBC ^.k
163
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Electroncquip
(Authorised BBC Dealer, and service centre)
ESPECIAL OFFERS
Mail order only
* EPSON
RX-80FT
FX-80
£225.25 + VAT
e320.88 + VAT
Printer price includes cable for BBC and screen
dump rom is available for £11.50
SIDEWISE
SIDEWISE FITTED
i
"SIDEWAYS" rom board for BBC Micro.
No soldering required £38.00 + VAT
VOLTMACE JOYSTICKS
*10% off list prices
Discounted price
JSV0LT14 Voltmace Delta 14B Joysticks 13.46
JSVOLTAD Voltmace 14B/1 Adaptor Box 13,36
JSV0LT3B Voltmace Delta 3B Twin Joysticks 18.09
Prices subject to variation without prior notification
TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME
Access & Barclaycard Accepted
Large Stocks - 24 Hour Despatch
Carriage 46p
5 FREE ACORNSOFT
GAMES & CASSETTE
RECORDER WITH EVERY
BBC SOLD
(WHILE STOCK LASTS)
/
Electronequip is an authorised Acorn service centre
and has been an Acorn dealer since the introduction
of the Atom. Our demonstration facilities include 20
station Econet and Torchnet systems.
Ref, BBC Micros Ex VAT IncVAT
ANBOl BBC Model B Micro Computer 348.26 399 00
AN602 BBC Model B with Econet Interface 389. 14 446 00
ANB03 BBC Model Bwith Disc Interface 409.14 469.00
ANBQ4 BBC Model Bwith Disc & Econet Interface 450.01 51 6.00
3" Micro Disc £129.95
(inc. VAT)
Disc Interface &
Drive
£198.95 {inc. VAT)
Micro Disc Drive for the BBC Micro
The Micro disc drive offers a method of low cost quick access to
programs. The drive is essentially a small version of a 5i" disc
drive and offers similar features to the larger drive.
The data is stored on a 3" disc, this is enclosed in a protective
hard plastic cassette which features a write protect switch.
The micro drive requires the standard Acorn disc interface, but a
new disc filing system rom. Acorn DFS may be exchanged for the
micro DFS for C12,00- The new micro disc filing system can read
and write to Acorn DFS discs.
Thus if a 5J inch and a micro (loppy were connected on the same
cable files could be transferred between them.
Capacity: 80.64 K bytes Transfer Rate: 125k bit/s.
BRANCHES
FAREHAM: 59 WEST STREET (0329) 230670
KINGS LYNN: 17 TENNYSON AVE. (0553) 3782
MAIL ORDER: 36-38 WEST STREET
FAREHAM, HANTS. (0329) 230670
^KX)ftN
COM
PUTER
Electronequip
36-38 West Street. Fareham, Hants (0329) 230670
BBC 4.i
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
169
BBC MICRO
- USER SUPPORT -
HO^,
:^#^°°
10 ISSUES OF BEEBUG MAGAZINE
MAILED FREE TO MEMBERS
30 EXCITING GAMES AND VISUAL PROGRAMS
43 SOFTWARE REVIEWS
33 HARDWARE REVIEWS
16 BOOK REVIEWS
150 HINTS AND TIPS
25 APPLICATION PROGRAMS
SERIES OF ARTICLES FOR BEGINNERS
MANY ADVANCED TECHNICAL ARTICLES
NEWS AND PRODUCT INFORMATION
PLUS SPECIAL OFFERS
BIG DISCOUNTS ON A WIDE RANGE OF PRODUCTS
EVENTS
BRAIN TEASERS
LOCAL CLUBS
FULL MAGAZINE INDEX
A YEARS SUBSCRIPTION WOULD HAVE BOUGHT YOU ALL THIS
Figures based on the 10 issues ofBEEBUC Volume 2.
BUT IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO JOIN FOR VOLUME THREE
BEEBUG PUBLICATIONS LTD. PO BOX 109, HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS
PLEASE ENROL ME FOR VOLUME 3
OF BEEBUG AT £9.90 (10 ISSUES)
NAME ...
ADDRESS
AMOUNT ENCLOSED
PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO
BEEBUG PUBLICATIONS LTD.
AND SEND TO:- DEPT 13, PO BOX 109
HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS.
(DISTRIBUTION AGENTS FOR BEEBUG)
BEEBUG HAS BEEN
ESTABLISHED FOR TWO
YEARS AND NOW HAS
OVER 25,000 MEMBERS. IT
OFFERS TOTAL USER
SUPPORT TO ALL BBC
MICRO USERS.
170
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
Simple, reliable, and still the most popular
word processor for the BBC Micro.
■
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icro32K
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ONC^^TS
Available from all good BBC Computer Dealers.
Available by Mail Order from Computer Concepts, Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead,
Herts HP2 GEX.
i Or by 'phoning with your credit card number on (0442) 63933.
V/SA
wtM
Whether its your tirst computer or whether you're already an
enthusiast, LVL COMPUTERTOWN offers you the quality of
service you expect from experts. If you invest money, you go to
a bank or a broker - a specialist who can guide and advise you
on the best return for your capital. At LVL COMPUTERTOWN
we're specialists too. We're there to help guide you through
the micro maze, keep you up to date on irmovations, help you
get the best value for money, whether your computer is for
you, your children or your business. Your computer can change
your life - make sure you change it for the better:
Come and talk to the experts and move into micros with LVL
COMPUTERTOWN
PRINTERS
MONITORS
NEC PC-8023-N Dot-Matrix Printer.
Econoznlcal all purpose printing for your computer.
£228.85
Centronics-computible parallel interface.
Bidirectional logical seek operation for high speed printing
(120cps).
Output to printer can be on character-by-character or even dot-by-
dot basis.
Many character sizes: fan fold and single-single sheet paper.
Automatic reversal of ribbon gives clear, crisp impressions for a
long period of time.
Fitted with the Eaio-fitandard connecnon. "nte SABA con rnta ea: Jn^nit
and output for video and audio, RGB inputs and this direct control of
the colour tube (that is to say absolutely lossfree direct input of the
picture signal) makes the SABA ideal for all video recorder standards,
video text.video games and home computers. SABA is among the very
few manufactures providing this advanced universal connection —
giving you the best of both worlds — Colour monitor and Colour TV.
^■^d^^
£246.85
VIA Q A 14" Colour Monitor/Colour TV.
DATA RECORDERS
COMPUTERS
BBC MICROCOMPUTER
Model B
Model B with ECONET
Model B with DOS
Model B with DOS & ECONET
. £399
. £446
. £469
. £816
- SUPERIORITY
£39.95
DISK DRIVES
The BeU & Howell/LVL
Computer Compatible Data
Recorder
O Automatic Level Control
O Automatic Tape Stop
O Tape Counter
O R^note Motor Control
»CORN
ectron
£199.00
The new personal computer from Acorn Computers. An ideal
machine for learning computing — and for having a lot of fun at
the same time.
But it's much more than just a toy. It's graphic facilities are the
most sophisticated available in it's price range.
An example of superior technology, total
rehability and outstanding performance,
combine to produce the LVL Disk Drive
Family.
Triily professional units designed to work
with the BBC Microcomputer.
PRICES START
FROM
£179.57
■-,.. -^, ■ ■^->-..-.^^^^^,^,=^
JOYSTICKS
British Made and fully guaranteed, the LVL twin joysticks are
professional units with which your aim should be nothing less
than total control. They will operate any programmes that have a
joystick option and are written in a way that is compatible with
Acomsoft.
'^^'^-:^y
'^.^**^
£21.95
• 12 months guarantee • Nylon encased-steel shafted
• Fully compatible with the BBC joysticks with ball and socket
model 'B' or *A' fitted with an joint
A/D interface and an analogue • Fast spring return to centre
port. • GrapMte wiper linear
potentiometers
SOFTWARE
At your local COMPUTERTOWN Dealer you'll find hundreds of titles,
for most popular home computers, offered at prices and skill levels to
-~~- suit all your desires. To
~ avoid disappointment
please telephone your
local stockist for a full
availability and
' price list.
smfisiifc
^ALL PRICES^
INCLUDE
VAT.
The items featured represent a very small selection from our vast
product range, and at the time of going to press were all available from
stock.
However, not all dealers carry every advertised item, please telephone
before making your journey.
For further details, and full product literature pack call or telephone your
nearest LVL Computertown Dealer.
C TECH SOFTWARE
184 Market St.
HYDE
Cheshire
06 1 366 S223
THE COMPUTER SHOP
S6/5fiLowthera.
CARLISLE
Cumbria
0228 27710
ESSEXl
ACL
1 Norlhmall
GRAYS, ESSEX
0375 79834
BROADWAY MUSIC
AND VISION
Woodford Green
ESSEX
OJ 504 7500
GREATER
MANCHESTER
lOMAX
8 Exchange SI.
St Annes Square.
MANCHESTER
061 S32 6167
* Home & Busiress
Computers Ltd.
S4. Yorkshire Street,
OLDHAM
061 633 1608
WORC'S
COLSTON COMPUTER
SPURTREE COMPUTWG
CENTRE LTD
LTD
The Colston Centre. ^
Council Buildings
11. Colston Ave. fl
Teme Street
BRISTOL I
TENBURY WELLS,
0272 276619 B
Worcestershire
1
0584 81153. 91 1304
ft'0);i;^i:M;i:^ll
JSERSEYSIDE
HOME & BUSINESS COMPUTERS 1
59. Daisy Hill ■
niORHGUARD
DEWSBURY ■
46, Pensbv Fd.
Yorks 1
HESWALL
0924 4S53O0 ■
The Winal
^^^^^^^^^ I
Merseyside
^■^MMMHH
051 342 7516
m-VU ELECTTOnCS ■ ■
NOTTS'
38, Church Si Wotverlon 1 1
MILTON KEYNES 1 1
S P ELECTRONICS
Bedford 1 H
48, Linby Rd
0908 312808 IB
HUCKNALL
Notts.
^^H 1
0602 640377
COMPUTERTOWN (UK) LTD
C.J.E MICROS ■
78. Brighton Rd. B
230. Derby Rd,
STAPLEFORD
WORTHING fl
West Sussex I
«* Notts.
0903 21 3900 B
!* 0602 399484
OXFORD^
■PUDLANDS
ABSOLUTE SOUND
IBC MICRO SERVICES M
AND VIDEO (Oxford) Ltd.
19, Old High St. Headington
OXFORD
200. Earlsdon Ave. B
Nth Earlsdon B
COVENTRY B
0865 65961
0203 73813 |
AVON
^BiTSHIRE j
K i K COMPUTERS
WILTSHIRE MICRO CENTRE B
32. AUreds St,
Unit 6. Central Trading Estate. B
WESTON
Signal Way. B
SUPER MARE
Old Town. B
Avon
SWINDON B
0934 419324
0793 6L2299 fl
YOUR
FTTBH
LOCAL
,^7^^{^
DEALER
|:U;UA'.l.l
SALOP
LANCASHIRE
KEMPSONE
MEDUCOTT BROS.
26. St. Owen St.,
53. Maidol
* P V MICROS
HEREFORD
SHREWSBURY
38A Water St.
0432 273480
SHROPSHIRE
ACCRINGTON
0743 3060
Lanes
VPW^
0254 36521
BXNT MICRO
NORTH'LAND
37, Union St
Home & Business
MAIDSTONE
NEWTONS
Main St,
Compulers (RCH) Ltd.
73, Yorkshire Street,
Kent
0G22 S3784
SEAHOUSES
ROCHDALE
0665 720307
0706 344654
PERCY LORD & SON
STAFFS
63. Btaby Rd
] W BAGNALL
^^^^^^^^H
WIGSTON
18, Sailer St..
n^^^m
Leicester
STAFFORD
S,I,R,
91, Whitchurch Rd
0333 783033
07BS3420
■PIDON
RTTTr^^B
Cyncoed ,>
CARDIFF «
TIT 1 V^
CANNONBURY RADIO
• HASLEMERE COMPS
Wales K"
0222 621813
ISG. Upper Si
25, Junction Place,
ISLINGTON NI
HASLEMERE
THE COMPUTER SHOP
London
Surrey
41, The Hayes,
01 226 9393
0428 538S0
CARDIFF,
Wales. H
PAUL ELECTRICAL
P 4 H ELECTRONICS
0222 26G66 I
250/2 Grand Drive,
5, The Parade.
1
Raines Park.
Reading Rd,
^ 1 1
LONDON SW20
YATELEY
^ 1 1
01 542 6546
Surrey.
ccnnfflcoT B
02S2 877 zaa
30 Gordon St. 1
WOODS RADIO
GLASGOW ■
237, Lavender Hill.
■ ■
041 2264878 fl
Battersea.
s
LONDON
ElK^EU.
ili
01 228 1768
4, Foreland Rd.
BEMBRIDGE
Isle of Wight
1
098 387 2S73
i
* Spactnun M«inb«n
Serious Decisions
NeedTI^e Support
OfOurSoGoujmns
Most serious users of
micro computers require
the facility to display in 80
columns, especially for word
processing. Try this on most
monitors and the result will
be a frustratingly fuzzy image.
The Microvitec CUB 653
gives the user not only
giowing colour, but also pin-
sharp- images, thanks to a
medium resolution screen
653 pixels wide by 585 high,
plus a selective transmission
panel giving super-high
contrast. These features
make this model from the
CUB range of monitors
the perfect partner for
the high resolutions
generated by BBC B,
SINCLAIR Q.L.I.B.M.,
MICRD VITEC M
cub
COLOUR DISPLAYS
ELECTRON, ORIC, APPLE II
and lie, and many others.
So if you wish to sharpen
your image, whether in the
office or at home, decide
Microvitec:
Remember— the highest
quality doesn't have to
mean the highest cost.
Call at your local dealer
or contact us direct and we'll
send you full details with a
pleasant surprise
wtf
- our price list. |§&
Microvitec PLC, Futures Way, Boiling Road, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD4 7TU England. Tel: (0274(39001 1 Telex; 517717
Mitrovilec Monitors are available I iom your specialist locakomputer dealer, selected brtUKhesolW.H Smith,
lohn Lewis Partnership, Lasky's, |ohn Menzies, Greens at Debenhamsand other leading retailers
HIGH QUAUTY DRIVES
AT EVEN LOWER PRICES.
Opus disc drives are the best buys
on the market.
We have reduced our prices, but the
quality still remains as high as ever.
All our 5 'A" drives have been tested
to their limits, running for 8,000 hours -
that's a year of constant use.
And when you look at our prices,
you'll find that VAT, all necessary leads
and carriage are included along with a
two year guarantee - a year more than
any other company can offer
You can order by posting the coupon
below or calling at our showroom.
3 MICRODRIVE.
• Twice the capacity on
line of other available
drives.
• 200K Single Density -
400K Double Deasity.
• Easy to connect to the BBC Micrct. • 3nis. Access time.
• Low power consumption - direct drive.
• Manual and free disc cartridge provided.
Double sided 40 Track Drive Single drive &229.95
Dual drive &459.95
5V4' SINGLE DISC
DRIVES.
• All '/j height.
• Low power
consumption.
• Coniprchensivc manual.
• Direct drive mechanism.
5400 lOOK Single sided 40 Track_
5401 lOOK Single sided 40 Track_
5402 200K Double sided 40 Tracks
Free utilities disc.
Fast access time,
Jt,129.95
il49.95
_&169.95
5802 400K Double sided hardware switchable
80/40 Track. &199.95
5V. DUAL DISC
DRIVES.
• Metal cased and all
necessary leads.
• Separate power supply""
• Utilities disc and manual.
540 ID 200V400K on line S/sided 40 Track_&349.95
5402D 400K/800K on line D/sided 40 Track_£399.95
5802D 800K/L6 Megabyte on line D/sided
hardware switchable 80/40 Track Jt>499.95
FLOPPY Discs.
3" canridge &5.75 each or i25.95 for 5 .
5 'A" Discs - with lull 5 year warranty and free library
case. S/SS/D &17.95 for 10.
S/SD/D&19.95forl0.
D/SD/Di21.95forlO.
S/S 80 Track &25.95 for 10.
D/S 80 Track &27.95 for 10.
DOUBLE DENSITY
DISC INTERFACE.
The ultimate Acorn
C(")mpatiblcdisc inter-
lace for your BBC Micro
and 6502 2nd Processor.
• Utilities on ROM including: Format and verify, tape to
disc transfer, automatic 4{)/80 Track selection, auto-
matic density selection, unique mass copy routine,
powerflil machine code operating system giving up to
248 files, 80'M) taster than single density. Easy to install.
Free user manual supplied Jbl29.95
GENEROUS EDUCATION AND DEAI.ER DISCOUNTS
GIVEN. ALL ITEMS ARE GUARANTEED FOR TWO YEARS
AND ARE SUITABLE FOR USE WITH THE BBC MICRO.
OPUS SLIPPUES LTD.
158 Cambci-vvcll Koad. London SE5 OEE.
Opening hours: 9.00 d.OO Monday
Friday 9.00- 1.30pm Saturday.
^
017018668
01-703 6155
OPUS PRODUCTS ARE AVAnABLE FROM W.H. SMITHS,
BOOTS, SPECTRUM JOHN MENZIES, AIXDERS AND
OTHER GOOD COMPUTER STORES NATIONWIDE.
I To: opus Supplies 1.11.!., ]i8C-anihcrv«c!l Ui):id. l.oiuinn SH'i l)[-;[;. Please |
rush me the foil, iwing: (ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT & CARRIAGE.)
Quantih'
Deseripiion
Price
1 enclose a
■hcqiiehirV- TOTAL
Or please debit my credit card account with
the arnotim of i-
My Acccss/Barclaycard (plea,se tick) No. i.s
Name-
.^ddres.s_
AC 25
u
Telephone-
OpiLsSupplicsLid,
'J
r
SEE US AT
The2ii(.l
Officiol
Acorn Usei
L<hib:tiori
OLYMPIA
16-19 AUGUST
1984
STAND 26
s^^^aai
The complete program development package for assembly language programmers. ADE is the de
facto indusffv standard for professional software writers usmg the BBC microcomputer. The 1 6I(
ROM contains a full 6502 MACRO assembler a dynamic text editor a front panel debugging
monitor and disassembler. ADE comes complete with a 160 page comprehensive reference
manual and a utility/ macro library disc. ADE can also be used with tape based machmes.
The ASSEMBLER features macros with library facilities; nestable conditional assembly: flexible
listing options (with or without macro expansion); hex, decimal, binary and ASCII data formats;
dummy section; full range of arithmetic and logical operators; symbol table sort and dump; file
chaining and 29 powerful pseudo ops. Source and object files are kept on disc so there is no limit
on program size or location.
The EDITOR is designed with the programmer in mind for writing both programs and
documentation. The editor includes a very powerful command language (including macros) that
enables much editing to be done on a semi-automatic basis. It features full screen editing and
deferred edit modes; no limit to document size; edit with backup facilities and a versatile text
formatter.
The DEBUGGER isinstantly accessible for inspecting, modifying and disassembling machine code
programs. Features include full 64 byte display in hex, ASCII and disassembled format registers;
stack; single step: breakpoints; memory search and much more.
Price £60 rnc vat. Please specify 40 or SOT utility disc.
X
ASM provides all the superb features of the ADE macro assembler on its own ROM.
The program source file may be written using any editor(even Wordwise orViewl), Complete with
reference manual and utility/macro library disc. Use the assembler that professional software
writers use.
Price £35 inc vat Please specify 40 or SOT utility disc.
ki
SPY2 is a front panel debugging monitor, disassembler and disc utility ROM. SPY2 is instanlly
accessible to the programmer for inspecting, modifying, debugging and disassembling machine
code programs. SPY2 also features a relocator and program trace facilities. SPY2 will access any
ROM either in the sideways ROM sockets or on an extension board. ROM memory may be
displayed, single-stepped through.or disassembled.
SPY2 includes a set of powerful disc recovery commands for interrogating, editing and retrieving
data stored on a floppy disc. SPY2 also includes a discformatteraswellasa non- destructive single
track reformatter.
In all SPY2 has a comprehensive set of 23 utility commands. These are supported by an excellent
Reference Manual.
The SPY2 front panel encompasses all the superb, easy-to-use facilities of the renowned SPY
debugging monitor PLUS additional commands for toggling and finding breakpoints: relocating
machine code programs; single stepping through subroutines in one go and facilities for accessing
the front panel from programs in RAM or ROM with breakpoints, OSBYTE or CTR-F.
SPY2 features a versatile disassembler with hex dump, full and intelligent disassembly. This
identifies data areas in the program; these being displayed as a hex/ ASCI I dump. Operating system
calls are labelled creating very readable code. The powerful trace facilities enable program
instructions and register contents to be traced to printer whilst the program is running.
Indispensable for graphics programs as they can be stepped through whilst observing the effects
on tfie screen.
SPY2 features a disc sector editor displaying the contents of a whole sector disc search facilities
for finding byte patterns or strings and free disc space. Files may be recovered by creating a
directory entry with all the data concerning the deleted file. Directory entnes can be easily
amended using the 'AMEND command. The 'FORMAT command formats discs with any number
of tracks. A verity command checks discs. The 'REFORMAT command is extremely useful tor
recovering information from a bad track, reformatting it and restonng the data. Commands are
included for loading files at &1900 and automatically downloading (and running) them.
The most comprehensiva of all debugging/disc utility ROMs.
Price £30 Inc vat.
Dept A 12 Collegiate Crescent, Sheffield 310 2BA
176
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
USER GROUPS
^ This indicates clubs tliat have responded to our circular asking for confirmation of details and continued existence.
Would those clubs who have not responded please do so, otherwise they will be deleted from our list.
yMl\\% Secretary
'^Waketield BBC Micro
User Group
116PinderfieldsRoad
Wakefield
West Yorkshire WF13PL
■ Colin Price
Kelghley Computer Club
Red Holl
Hainsworth Wood
Keigfiley
W. Yorks
Tel. Keighley 603133
■ Jenniter Woeller
Sutton Library
Computer Club
Sutton Central Library
St Nicholas Way
Sutlon, Surrey
Tel: 01-661 5031
■ MrC. Rutter
Medway Atom Users Club
St John Fisher School
Ordnance Street
Chatham
Kent
■ Mr J. Ashursl
Acorn Computer
Users Group
Abraham Moss Centre
Crescent Road
Manchester 8
^a BBC Adventure Club
18 Weardale House
Woodberry Down
London N4 ION
yB John Wood
Atom Users' Group
ol Canada
812 Cabot Trail
Milton
Ontario L9T 3M8
Canada
jTAuslin Vaughan
Hrish Amateur
Computer Ctub
35 Monastery Drive
Clondalkin
Dublin 22
Eire
Tel: (01) 5931 12 (evenings)
yS Miss J. Lines
South East Essex
BBC User Group (SEEBUG)
97 Oakhurst Drive
Wickford
Essex SS12 0NW
Tel: 03744 63396
^ D. Donaldson. Secretary
Bracknell Primary Schools
Computer Users' Group
Wildrjdings County Junior
Scfiool
Netherton
Bracknell
Berks RG124DX
■ Stuart Malllnson
Hudderslleld BBC Micro
User Group
34 Ryefieids
Sctioles
Muddersfield
WestYofk5HD71XF
■ J. Smith, Secretary
Brighton, Hove & District
Computer Club
30 Leicester Villas
Hove
E. Sussex BN3 5SQ
yMhA\ Ric Keyworth
North London BBC
Micro Users Group
'The Penthouse'
4b Kiiburn High Road
London NWS 5UL
Tel: 01-734 9235
(7am-3pm Mon-Fri)
■ West Midlands
Computer Group
12 Apsley Road
Oldbury
West Midlands B68 0QZ
■ Mr J. Price
Bedford House
27-28 St George's Road
Brighton
Sussex
■ Mr P. Beverley
Norwich Area Acorn User
Group
Room 12a
Norwich City College
Ipswich Road
Norwich Nn2 2LJ
■ Keith Mitchell
Edinburgh ZX Computer
Club
19 Meadowplace Road
Edinburgh
Tel: 031-334 8483
■ Robin Bradbeer
Association ol London
Computer Clubs
Polytechnic o( North London
Holloway
London N7 8DB
yB Andy Purkiss
North & Mid-Essex
User Group (NAMEBUG)
12 Palm Close
Witham, Essex
Tel: 0376515609
Prestel' 376515609
y^M.A Cowley, President
Beebnet
PC Box 262
Kingswood
South Australia 5062
■ MrD. L. Evans
23Hitchin Road
HenlowCamp
Bedfordshire
y«R. Welch
Harpenden
Microcomputer Group
7 Tylers
Harpenden
Herts AL5 5RT
■ Mr P. Frost
Atom Users Group
3 Leyland Road
Bulkington
WarksCV12 9LW
■ Ray MItcham
Southport BBC Micro Group
5 Easedale Avenue
Ainsdale
Soulhporl
Tel: 79936
y* The Secretary
Radio Amateur Micro
User Group (G4KCS)
c/oR. A. Webb
39AldworthRoad
Stratford
LondonE154DN
fl Malbeeb
BBC Users Club
'Micar'
St Monica Street
Guardamangia
Pieta
Malta
^B John Hannon
Tasbeeb (BBC Users' Group)
Box 25 PC
North Hobart
7002 Tasmania
Australia
Tel: (002) 342704
■ A F. Powell
The Davenlry and District
Computer Club
c/oThe Daventry
Ex-Servicemans Club
Market Square
Daventry
Northanls
y^BBC INFO
Horten Ingeniorhogskole
Skippergt. 6
3190 Horten
Norway
y^E. R, Piper
Bognor Computer Group
(BUG)
2 Ely Gardens
Aldwick Park
Bognor Regis
Sussex P0213RY
■ Andrew Pike
Peterborough Personal
Computer Club
920 Bourges Boulevard
Peterborough PE1 2AN
Tel: 0733 44342 {after 5pm)
■ Simon Sadler
Mid-Cheshire Computer
Club
75 Swanlow Lane
Winsford
Cheshire CW7 1JD
■ Liverpool BBC
Microgroup
c/o Fred Shaw
14 Albany Avenue
Eccleston Park
Prescot
MerseysideL34 2QW
■ John Harris
Bottlsham Acorn User Group
I Rowan Close
Bottlsham
Cambridge CBS 9BN
Tel: (0223) 811487
wM Brian Pain
^EEBACC
40a High Street
Stony Stratford
Milton Keynes
Tel: [0908) 564271
^■Duncan Coulter
Preslon BBC User Group
8 Briar Grove
Ingol
Preston PR2 3UR
■ Acorn Users Group of
Sweden
c/o Janne Soderberg
Frihetsvagen32
S-175 33Jarfalla
Sweden
,^ Anders Wickman
^BC User Group (BUG)
Folkungagatan 58
116 22 Stockholm
Sweden
■ Peter Wilson
Universal Micro Club
26 North Cape Walk
Corby
NorthantsNN-18 9DQ
Tei: Great Oakley 742622
^'^John Haigh
Iver Computer Society (IC's)
II CollistonWalk
Fords Farm
Calcot, Reading
Berks RG3 5ZJ
Tel: 0734-417534
■ John Eary
Kinder Peak Computer Club
36 Parkway
New Mills
Tel: New Mills 43870
■ C Verrier
Wandsworth Computer Club
Earlstield Library
Magdalen Road
London SW18
■ Mr J. Craig
National BBC User Group
40 Mount Pleasant Avenue
Wells
Somerset BA5 2JQ
■ Mr R. Luff
KIngbee
54 Arlington Close
Kingswinford
West Midlands
^ Computer Club
Caterham Leisure Centre
Godstone Road
Caterham
Surrey CR3 6RE
Tel: Caterham 48304/43316
■ Ted Ryan
Eastwood Town
Microcomputer Club
15 Queens Square
Eastwood
NottingtiamNG16 3BJ
^TwrT, A, Kayani
SOBAT Computer Club
(East London)
12 Calderon Road
London El 14EU
Tel: 01-556 5423
■ Mr M. G. Forster
Polbug BBC Users Group
8 SI George's Avenue
High Lane
Tunslall
Stoke-on-Trent
Tel: 818499
^^ Steve MacLeod
BBC Users Group of
Canberra
5 Hatfield Street
EvattA.C.T,2617
Australia
Tel: (062) 587719
■ A. H. Fowler
Tonbridge School Computer
Society
44 Birling Road
Tunbridge Wells
Kent TN2 SLY
■ J. Assies, Secretary
Big Ben Club
PO Box 177
4670 AD Zevenbergen
The Netherlands
■ H. W. H. Fisher
Sunnlngdale BBC User
Group
82 Cedar Dive
Sunnlngdale
Berks SL5 0UB
Tel: Ascot 25030
^^ Peter Hughes
*^Formal 40/80 Club
BBC Disc User Group
5 Marsh Street
Bristol BS1 4AA
■ Dave Davies
229 Manley Road
Chorllon-cum-Hardy
Manchester M21 1RB
Tel: 061-881 0382
^^Tony Latham
Computer Users Club
69 Had low Road
Welling, Kent DA161AX
Jl Tony Pickard
Newcastle & Washington
BBC User Group (NEWBUG)
c/o Washmgton Town Centre
Library
The Galleries
Washmgton, Tyne & Wear
Tel: Houghton (927) 849342
after 6pm
,M^John Fryer. Treasurer
'abug
17 Edgedale Road
Sheffield S7 2BQ
^^Chris Parry, Secretary
Stratford Computer Club
15 Kipling Road
Slratford-on-Avon
Tel: 0789 68080
y^Robert Watt
tnverclyde BBC Micro Users'
Club
9 St John's Road
Gourock
Renfrewshire PA191 PL
Tel; Gourock 39967
^^Antony Hurden
^West Suffolk BBC Micro
Users' Club
14 Plovers Way
Bury St Edmunds
Suffolk IP33 2NJ
■ Forum 80
421 EndikeLane
Hull HU6 SAG
yP Simon Ward
Porchester & Farefiam
Computer Club
9a East Cams Close
Downend
Fareham
Hants P016 8RP
yMo. Davidson
Central Scotland BBC User
Group
1 Roxburgh Place
Larbert
Stirlingshire FK54UE
^M Linda Yeomans,
Secretary
Beeb Users Group (Bug
Club)
13 Regent Street
Church Gresley
Burton-on-Trent
Staffs DE119PL
tM Arjen Raateland
HopeatielOA21
00440 Helsinki 44
Finland
Tel; 90-5625027
^Jl Sqn Ldr J. A. Upham
*RAF Personal Computer
Association
ManS(ADP)
HO RAFSC
RAF Brampton
Huntingdon PEieSQL
^Bazyle Butcher
Harrow Computer Group
16 SI. Peter's Close
Bushey Heath
Watford WD2 3LG
Tel: 01-950 7068
^^MUSE [for teachers)
TO Box 43
231/2 Friary Chambers
Whitetriargate
HullHU12HD
Tel: 0482 20268
J^Nik Kelly
Mersey BBC User Group
56 Queen's Drive
Liverpool L4 6SH
v^R. V. Souter, Secretary
n'RS-80/Beeb Users Group
4RisbyGarth
Skidby
Cottingham, Hull
HU16 5UE
Tel: 0482 845326
^BBC Micro Club Tenerife
PO Box 1297
Santa Cruz de Tenerife
Canary Islands (Spain)
Tel: (922) 216546
^Rupert Steele
Association of Computer
Clubs
17 Lawrie Park Crescent
London SE26 6HH
J^Andy Leeder
Amateur Computer Club
Church Farm
Stratton St, Michael
Norwich NR15 2QB
y^BobHindle
South Yorks Personal
Computer Group (SYPCG)
139 Penrhyn Road
Sheffield S1 1 8UP
^1 J. G. Dowling
Acorn Atom Users Group
27 Oribi Avenue
Van Riebeeck Park
Kempton Park 1620
South Africa
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
We've been absolutely inundated with Free ads — something like
four times as many as we can carry. This has led to long delays In
publication and disappointment for readers. The free ads are carried
in the magazine as space permits, so please allow up to four months
for yours to appear.
FOR SALE: HCR EPROM program-
mer for BBC, as currently adver-
tised, costs over E53 new, will
accept C40. Andrew Pearson, lei:
0533 555599.
ATOM. Wanted: Maths Pack 1, Desk
Diary programs, also Acorn Euro-
card 40 character VDU card, plus
circuit diagram for Atom colour
board. Tel: John, evenings, Danbury
3888 (Essex),
WANTED. Copy of the 8271 FDC data
sheet. Will be prepared to pay for
copying and postage. Tel: Polegate
(03212) 2438 (evenings) and ask for
Paul.
TEAC disc drive 40/801, double
sided, utilities disc, leads, C220 plus
postage. Tel: 0726 4246 after 6 pm or
weekends.
WANTED. BBC disc interface kit or
8271 chip. Tel: Bristol (0272) 833568
evenings.
TORCH Z80 second processor, £250.
Requires dual SOT disc drive. Micro-
line 82A printer, £275, Watford Elec-
tronics ROM board plus 16k RAM
(6264-150ns), E80. Gemini Cashbook
and Home Accounts, CIOO. Tel:
(0243)573951.
SEIKOSHA GP-100 A printer (Mark
II), unused and almost new cable,
spare ribbon, £140 or offers. Peter
Ballantyne, Norwich (0603) 413785,
weekends only.
WILL EXCHANGE Jen SX 1000 syn-
thesiser plus amplifier for BBC B
fiardware and/or software. Write or
tel with offers to I. Smith, 52 Sunny-
bank Ave, Bispham, Blackpool
(0253) 54926.
DISC drive, Oliveti SJ", as used by
Acorn. S/S S/D lOOK, with leads,
manual, utility disc, 7 months'
guarantee, £100 DPS £15, Speaking
watch, £30, Tel: Hornchurch (04024)
71789 afterBpm.
WANTED: Atom Wordpack ROM and
manual; also a photocopy of 2 miss-
ing pages from Atomic Theory and
Practice. Will pay £15 to £20 for
Wordpack. Tel: Mark 01-732 3053.
DISC drive. Single Teac double
sided 40/80 track switchable, 200/
400k, minimal use, in case with all
leads and some discs, £325 one.
Also View A1.4 from Acornsoft, £30
with manuals, Tel: 0327-52191.
PRINTER. Tandy LPVII complete
with manual and cable to suit BBC
computer. As new condition, £130
ono. Tel; Hayling Island 3793 (Colin
Reynolds) after 5 pm.
BBC B 1.20S, joysticks, programs,
magazines, tape deck, dust cover,
£325, no offers. Buyer collects.
Chris, 56 Thistlecroft Road, Walton-
on-Thames, Surrey. Ring Watton-on-
Thames 222489 after 8 pm or week-
ends.
PRINTER. Tandy CGP115, as new,
including cables, paper, pens and
software, up to 80 columns, 4
colours, decenders, £80. Ring Nigel
on 0438 726430 (Stevenage) even-
ings or weekends.
PACE DFS with utility disc and
manual, £20. Allows 63 file names
per disc and page set =&1500.
Includes M/C screen dump pro-
grams. Acorn DFS compatible. Tel:
Buckingham (0280) 816475.
WANTED. BBC Model B with DFS,
Also Epson printer wanted, Peter
Ballantyne, Norwich 413785 week-
ends only.
HOBBIT floppy tape system (101K)
for BBC micro with file system
EPROM, manual, tapes etc. Only £64
ono. Tel: 01-368 7561 evenings.
WANTED. BBC B, Tel: Rugby (0788)
71662.
RESEARCH Machines 380Z 32k. Tel:
0603810675 evenings.
EXPANDED Acorn Atom, 12k plus FP
ROM, plus £130 software, plus all
leads, plus manual, plus PSU, plus
books, plus magazines. All originals
and in good condition. Cost £450.
sell for £70. Phone Aberdeen (0224)
702258 after 6 pm any evening.
FOR SALE. Nascom 2 micro-
computer, 16k plus Zeap, includes
cassette and 9" monitor, £250 ono.
Mr Hamawi. Tel: Fareham 281209.
WANTED BBC computer model B,
level II Basic, 1.20S with Acorn DFS.
Will consider without DFS. Tele-
phone 0480 43020 (Tidworth) after
5pm.
BBC B. B/W monitor, £150 worth of
software, all Acorn User and Micro
User magazines to date. Books,
leads and other relevant listings of
programs. Offers. Tel: Saltcoats
65446, ask for David. Buyer collects.
VIC 20 (or sale or swap with Acorn
Atom 12/12, 16k RAM plus joystick
plus £45 worth of software, VIC 20
cassette player as new, still boxed.
£100. Tel: (0638) 720363 (evenings
only), Fordham, near Cambridge.
CASIO PB100 pocket computer/cal-
culator. Standard Basic, qwerty,
constant memory, includes extra
internal RAM pack (worth £12),
manuals, original packaging. Very
good condition, worth £40 plus £12-
sell for £35. Tel: (051 ) 336 2812 (6pm
plus).
2114L memory, ex-equipment
tested. Eight for £5. 2118 memory
single rail. 16k x 1 eight for £10. Ex-
equipment tested. D, Hemingway.
Ivanhoe, Glen Road, Hindhead,
Surrey GU26 6QE.
VIDEO Genie EG3008 (Z80A
@3.5MHz). expansion interface,
monitor, LD05 5.12, tons of software,
£280 the lot! New 2564 EPROMs,
£3.50. Write tor details: Mike Tubby,
5 Waterford Close, Worcester.
DISC DRIVE. Teac half height, 40/80
track switchable, double sided,
400k, 6 months' guarantee, includes
utility disc, cables, 200-page
manual, box of discs. Best price
secures. Tel: Richard 021-783 8651
(evenings).
WANTED -Teletype or other printer
tor BBC B; RTTY hardware and soft-
ware; Graphics ROM; any speech
synthesiser; any lightpen: White
Knight II, Write to S. Dyke. Uphill.
Whiddon Down, Okehampton,
Devon EX20 20S,
Acorn User has been alerted
to the abuse of the free ad
service and, regrettably, can
no longer accept entries sell-
ing or swapping software.
ACOUSTIC modem (Prism) in orig-
inal packing, £50 ono. ROM board
(Watford). £25. Both inclusive of
P&P. Tel: Dave 0206 561212 after 6
pm or weekend.
PRINTER. Tandy DMP100. Hardly
used, tractor feed with serial and
parallel interface, paper; lead for
BBC/Atom; manual. Sell for £155.
Tel: 041-423 2115.
WANTED: Acorn DFS manual, utili-
ties ROMs, books, hardware, soft-
ware, or just penpals. Any trans-
action could be arranged for UK
address All letters answered. K, J.
Lim, 44 Charlton Road, Singapore
1953.
WANTED. Latest colour board for
Atom, must be in good condition.
Michael Lacey, 4 Silverdale Close,
Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 7XP,
Tel: Retford (0777) 705405.
16K Spectrum. Repairable 32k
memory. Black and white television.
Printer plus spare paper. Tape
recorder. Books, tape, £160 or swop
for hi-res colour monitor suitable tor
BBC, Tel, (0634) 682607.
BBC Model B, 1.20S. Sureshot joy-
stick, leads, manuals, software, 6
months old. Uncased, unused SJ"
disc drive. Epson printer MX100 MK
III (retails £500), all for C700. Tel: 01-
646-5952,
HITACHI 3 inch disk drive with 21
disks cost £280-1- sell £200 ono
(single sided 100k and BBC compat-
ible). Ring Bill 01-572 2917.
WANTED BBC B minimum. Extras:
DFS or other DOS, sideways ROM or
RAM etc acceptable. Up to £500 to
spend. Serious software/firmware
considered. Games not required.
Phone evenings or weekends 0503
65436, Lowestott.
FREE PERSONAL AD SERVICE
1
I
Sell your old hardware or pass on Information. Fill in the form below to a maximum |
of 32 words (one in each box) and send it to Acorn User Free Ads, 68 Long Acre, '
London WC2E 9JH. Use capital letters, and remember your name, address or tele- I
phone number. This is a service to readers -no companies please. One entry per '
form only, and we cannot guarantee any issue. I
I
I
I
I
I
o|o
I
I
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
ATOM wanted. Floating point ROM,
Toolkit ROMs, BBC Basic board,
arcade games. Send details to: Joel
Connault. Le Plan, F38490 La Batie
Divisin, France. Tel: 763222 17.
GRAPHICS dlgitiser by Minor Mir-
acles-mint condition ~ never used
(unwanted Christmas present),
new-£20, will sell tor £14 or swap
(or Computer Concept's Graphics
ROM. Contact Roger 09363 3872
after 5pm.
BBC model B, 1 20S, DFS, fitted
with Wordwise ROM, Sony cassette
recorder, manual, cover, etc C420
ono. Ptione Leeds [0532) 585853.
PRINTER £S0. TTL level serial input
plus power unit and software for
Atom. Ex-Creed Teletype, Tubb, 35
Burns Road, Crawley. Sussex. Tel:
Crawley 513354.
ATOM wants: 8271 controller pay
£25: RAM card CIO; BBC Users
Guide £3.50; Lisp and Fortti manuals
£3 each; 6502 machine code (begin-
ners) and magic book £2 each. Con-
tact: Steve. 0752 776082.
TANDY TRS80 line printer III, BBC
compatible, business quality dot
matrix, 120cps lakes up to 15in wide
paper, mint condition- £225 ono.
Tel: Welwyn Garden City 24591 after
6pm.
FOR SALE. BBC B, 0S1.2, lead,
manuals, lioxed. Also many maga-
zines, books, software and dusl-
cover . All (or £395 ono. Phone Jason
on 0803 28760, after 5pm.
PRISM Acoustic modem for BBC
model B, Comes complete with all
leads and ROM software in its orig-
inal packing. £50 ono. Tel: Melton
Mowbray (0664) 69013, after 6pm
WANTED 8271 disc controller chip.
Will pay up to £30. Phone Mark,
Mold 58660 after 4pm.
0S1.2 ROM new and unused, in
original packing with fitting instruc-
tions, complete. Double order error,
hence surplus to requirements.
£5.20, p&p all included. Phone
Graham 0902 341189.
TEAC 100k disc drive with cables,
manual, formatting and other discs.
Used, perfect order. £95. Upminster
(040 22)29912.
ACORN 0.9 DFS ROM for BBC
micro, only 3 months old. Sale due
to system upgrade. £48. Phone
Brian Emmerson 0392 860983
(Exeter),
BBC B 1.20S. Acorn DFS. Word-
wise, software worth E700, 400k
double sided switchable disk drive,
34 floppies, green screen monitor.
Worth £1,600, the lot for £1.055 ono.
Tel: 047 283 378 after 7pm. Kevin
Bramhill.
BBC B 32k 081.2, little used, as new
with cassette lead and approx £50
software. Bargain, £350. Billencay
56130.
ATOMCALC wanted, also Forth
language for the Atom. Buy or ex-
change lor similar- 1 have most
other non-game software. Tele-
phone Oliver 0626 862747, most
times, most days
CANON twin 40 track double sided
drives with psu, double density
capability 400/800k. Including BBC
connector utilities, disc supplied.
£300. Phone Bagshot 75672 (STD
0276).
ATARI 800 home computer plus
Atari cassette recorder, three joy-
sticks, music and Basic cartridges,
mags and manual. £200 ono. Phone
Matthew on Turton 852527 after
5.30pm.
WANTED Beebugsoft Sprite utilities
(disc) or Simonsoft Sprites version 2
(disc or tape). Will make cash offer.
Also Soft Machine Sprite Master
considered, Tel: James, Cambridge
843606.
SILENT Computers' expandable
console for BBC -worth over £62-
will sell tor £39.99 ono. Also original
Simonsoft Disassembler disk
(40TK) - little used due to upgrade to
80TK drive-£6.50 ono. Tel: 061-224
0756,
ATOM (loppy disk controller card
including utilities disk £70. Tel;
Bradford (0274) 612529.
8271 disc controller wanted. Will pay
anything reasonable. Tel: Steve,
Ipswich 680051,
ELECTRON, two months old,
virtually unused. £40 worth of books
and games-£175 the lot. Phone
0724 733780 after 6pm any day.
UNWANTED gift BBC 6 and BBC
cassette recorder -I- 30 hour Basic
and tapes etc. Cost £490 accept
£300, no offers. All as new, boxed,
not used. Telephone 0424 214521.
Bexhill, E. Sussex.
NEW ZEALAND BBC user would like
contact in UK. Would also like lo
swap software with them. Write:
Andrew Phillips, 44 George Street,
Geraldine. New Zealand.
BBC B & DFS, Epson FX80F/T, Mic-
rovitec mod res monitor, Sanyo
cassette, Cumana 400k double drive
40/80, Wordwise, Disc-Doc, 70
games on disc, joystick. Everything,
in fact. Cost £2,000-1- accept £1,300.
Under warranty. 01-850 7689, Eltham
SE9. (Robert).
HELP! can anyone tell me how to
connect my LA36 RS232 Decwriter 2
terminal to a fully expanded Acorn
Atom? Please help! Michael Perris,
51 Barn Meadow Lane, Bookham,
Surrey KT23 3EZ, Write only,
WANTED Atomcall ROM and
manuals. Max price £10, Contact Mr
Luck, EETEC, RAF Coningsby, Lin-
coln LN44SY.
WANTED 8271 disk controller chip.
Will pay up to £40, for second hand
chip, Bedford (0234) 856050.
FOR SALE. Microvitec 14" RGB
monitor £150. Zenith green screen
monitor £40. Both brand new boxed.
Acorn speech ROMs including
manual £25. Wordwise ROM includ-
ing manual £25. Phone Peter, 01-958
8021 (Edgware, Middx),
FOR SALE. Complete set of Popular
Computing Weekly, Total cost price
over £36. will sell for £15 plus post-
age, or swap for ROM expansion
board. Ring Andrew on Leek (0538)
383652 after 5,30pm
BBC computer, disc interface and
ROM board £350, Epson RX80FT
printer £240. 100k Cumana drive
£85. Sanyo high-res monitor £80.
View £20. Disc-Doctor £15, BeeBase
II £20. Graphics Extension £20, Ring
Horley 75547.
WANTED 8271 disc controller. Tel:
Ipswich 680051, (Steve),
SOLIDISK 16k sideways RAM board
with over £1,000 worth of software
including Starbase, Wordwise,
Graptiics ROM, Ullracall, Printmas-
ter, Beebcall, Toolkit, Beebmon,
Gremlin, Exmon etc. Whole package
only £150 (duplicated gift). Phone
(05827)69152.
400K Mitsubishi DD/DS 40/80 track
disc drive. Supplied with Disc
Doctor ROM and 10 discs with
Acornsoft business and games
range, Gemini business, ROM
dumps. Total value £1,500+ , sell for
£400. Tel: (05827) 69152,
OPUS 100k disc drive with leads,
manual, and utilities disc. Six weeks
old, £140. 48k Spectrum with £80
worth of software and manuals, 6
months old £90. Tel: (0865) 251684 or
(0865) 249891 ext6019, (Richard),
BBC B 1.20S and cassette recorder,
Wordwise ROM and lots of software
including most Acornsoft games,
£399, Phone 0705 592006 (near
Portsmouth).
FOR SALE. Atari 2600 with two
games, four joysticks and adaptor in
good condition, £25. Telephone Car-
lisle 44882 after 6pm and ask tor
Michael,
WANTED Back numbers of AU,
PCW, Byte. Also books for BBC
micro, Tom Curran, Hampton,
Middx, Tel: 01-979 3872.
WANTED BBC B. Will pay up to £250.
Phone 01-474 2488 after 6pm,
SOLIDISK sideways RAM owner (no
disks) needs tape copy of sideways
RAM utilities (or source of listings).
Can you help? Geoff Smith, 84 Eden-
field Gardens, Worcester Park,
Surrey KT4 7DY.
VETREX computer console includes
built-in screen and joystick, three
games, as new £50 ono. Phone Paul
021-422 4167 evenings-
EXCHANGE for BBC micro or sell tor
£353, The Open University; Micro-
processors and Product Design -a
course for engineers. Complete in
original packing. Tel: Aylesbury
(0296) 25504.
WANTED Software for Atom. Please
send list of games for sale including
prices to: Tim Welch, 'Orchard Cot-
tage', Church End, Friskney, Boston,
Lines PE22 8SE.
WANTED 8271 FDC chips. Open to
any reasonable offers for an 8271.
Data sheets for 8271 and 8272
urgently required, H you can help,
ring Stu on 061-485 2848, evenings
please.
COMPUTER magazines Practical
Computing 58 issues from Vol, 1 No,
1 (Oct 78) to Vol. 6 No. 2 (July 83)
£10. Your Computer from Vol. 1 No.
1 (June 81) to Vol, 3 No. 10 (Oct 83)
£5, Phone John, Edinburgh (031) 331
2444,
ATPL's sideways ROM/RAM board,
issue 4. Only a few months old, per-
fect condition. Comes with original
tilting instructions, £35. Contact
Sunindra. Tel: 01-555 9586 after
6pm.
BBC B unopened. Acorn DFS, light
pen, ofticial BBC recorder, many
software titles disc/cassette, 4-pen
colour printer programs, screen
dump, books, worth £750 -offers?
Telephone Ipswich (0473) 73203.
RH colour light pen for BBC B. As
new, 6 months old, complete with
manual and cassette, VGC, only £35,
Tel: Jon (0305) 783810,
BBC model B with disc interface,
LVL dual disc drive, 7 ROMs includ-
ing View and Beebcalc. Also over
200 programs on disc, BBC data
recorder and leads. Complete
system £1,100 ono. Phone Canter-
bury (0227)58529.
EPSON RX80F/T, hardly used -still
in original packings with cable for
6BC, manual, screen dumps, full
box of paper - £259 ono. Also Ouick-
shol joystick £5, Telephone Wom-
bourn 897381.
BBC Spectra-vision Ouickshot joy-
stick with interface program- works
even with keyboard only programs -
still boxed, hardly used £14 + 75p
pSp. Phone Richard Ross (0989)
62018,
SEIKOSHA GP100A Mk2 printer,
Centronics interface. 10 months old,
VGC: £175 ovno. Telephone Stick-
land, Market Harborough- (0858)
64047 after 6pm.
WANTED for Atom. FP ROM, VIA,
colour extension, tool kit ROM,
Database, Wordpack, Database
Forth, Diary utility pack, Word tutor
Send lis! and price to Calhal
Mooney, 3 Mountross, New Ross,
Co. Wexford.
MAGAZINES Full sets of Acorn User
and The Micro User, plus six copies
of A and B Computing for the BBC
and Electron users. Good condition.
Best offer takes. Phone Ian, Brid-
lington (0262)601615.
BBC Ouickshot joystick with inter-
face program - works even with key-
board only programs -hardly used,
still boxed £14 4- 75p p&p. Tel: Ross
(0989) 62018, ask tor Richard.
GCC 13-ROM board. Only £30 in-
clusive Also will pay well for any
Intel 8271 FDC (working!). Phone
061-485 2848 evenings, ask for Stu,
ADE Systems text editor, mairo
assembler, and spy monitor, com-
plete with manual and disc, only
£40, (Doesn't work with 6502 second
processor). Tel: John on Abingdon
20975, after 6pm,
WANTED BBC model B, cassette
recorder, colour monitor, manuals,
leads, games. Tel: Pontefract (0977)
796907.
UNWANTED gift. 'The Working
Dragon 32' book. Practically new.
Reason for selling -I have a Beeb!
Phone 0525 381673 evenings and
ask for Gareth. Asking price £3,50
including postage.
UNWANTED gift, 40 track 100k
official BBC disc drive, unused.
Complete £160 ono. Also two boxes
Scotch discs (20) unused. £32. Frank
Turley, 'Orchard Bank', Keswick
Lane, Bardsey, Leeds LSI 7 9AG,
Telephone 0937 73123.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
BBC model B 0S1.2, few books and
stacks ot original software. All leads
and cables for E350 ono, Tel, 01-940
3562. Please ask for Jane.
PRrNTER. Tandy TRS-80 four colour
x-y plotter, 40/80 characters per
line. BBC compatible, superb
graphics with Itie two, grapfiic dump
programs supplied in the price,
£130. Iver (0753) 651417 (Slough
area).
IKON floppy tape drive. Just plug in
and go Includes all leads, manual
and operating chip. £85. Tel: Steve
Wood, Staines 53386, weekdays
after 5 pm.
WANTED. BBC B DFS drive(s) with
manuals. Extras may be purchased
with package. Also redundant or
broken Video Genies. TRS80
models. Others to FHG, 19 Grayson
Drive, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 7BA.
ROM extension socket, fulistake pur-
chase so going for only £13 ono.
Would cost up to £23 otherwise.
Needs 21F socket (can supply). Phil
Stubbington, 24 Thames Crescent,
l\1aidenhead. Strictly no phone calls
please,
BUSINESS COMPUTER. 16 bit, 8"
disc drive, integral cassette, 17^'
tractor printer, S100 bus. 2 consoles.
Documenlation available. £500 or
why. Newport, Tel: Ickford 387
(Buckinghamshire).
ATARI 400 including cassette
recorder and two Quickshot joy-
sticks and lots of software £160 ono
or swap for Acorn Electron Tel:
Woking 67454, after 4 pm.
FOR SALE. Shugart 40-track SS SO
100k. eiOO Shugart 40-track DS DD
40Qk, brand new, £180 oro. Ring 051-
648 4419. 21 Laurelhurst, Pensby,
Wirral.
BBC B. 0.1OS. Could deliver within
reasonable distance. Best offer
secures. Tel: Upwey 2167 (Dorset).
WANTED. Atom Wordpack ROM,
Tel: 0642 722141 extension 29,
David.
MICRONET IVlodem 1000 plus ROIVl
software (or BBC 8. New condition,
still boxed, including full instruc-
tions. Bargain £50 ono. Tel: Kines-
ton Blount 51694 (Chinnor, Oxford-
shire), IVlr Small, 8 Cherry Tree
Road. Chinnor, Oxfordshire.
FOR SALE: BBC Basic board for
Atom. £25 ono, Tel: Alan Brown 0932
47262 extension 30 daytime or 0483
578732 evenings.
BBC B 1,20S. Wordwise, leads, con-
dition very good. 16 months old but
seldom used, £320 ono. Tons of soft-
ware. Tel: 01-361 2954.
TORCH Z80 disc pack. Complete,
boxed, virtually unused. Cost £840,
sell £640, Also Newbrain model A,
disc controller, CP/M disc, Newbas
assembler, all available documen-
tation, including software technical
manual, Washington (0632) 4168041
evenings,
WANTED. Atom disc packs. Reason-
able prices paid. Also non-working
Atoms with new keyboard, Tel:
Andy, Swindon (0793) 39736 week-
day evenings and weekends.
WANTED. Atom software, particularly
games pack 9 (Snapper), Tel; 01-
459-3405 evenings and weekends,
ATOM BBC board MOS extension
ROIVI. Fits BBC conversion board
and gives BBC or Atom COS at 1200
or 300 baud, £10. A. Ivlclneeney, 32
Ardilaun Road, Newcastle. Galway,
Ireland.
BBC model B with desk and soft-
ware. Hardly used for lack of time,
£350 ono, J, Faul, 9 Ellesmere Road,
Twickenham TW1 2DJ. 01-892 8275
evenings.
BBC B, 1,2, Sanyo Cassette,
manuals, books, cables for sale due
to delivery ot Apricot, Also BBC and
Gemini programs. All at £350 (cur-
rent cost over £500) Ring Hugh
Somers at 01-221 7221.
BBC B, 5 months old. still under
guarantee, perfect condition. I can't
find the time to use it. Only £340, Tel:
Clifton Hampden 7146. Some soft-
ware also,
WANTED. Educational software for
Acorn Electron - algebra - geo-
metry - arithmetic - for age 14-15.
Tel: David Thomas (0758) 612968
any time after 4 pm,
MICROWARE. Complete DDFS up-
grade kit and manual. As new,
unused, untouched. £80, Jim Botten,
tel: 0895 448951 after 6.30 pm.
WANTED: Acornsoft View package.
Please write stating price. Steve
Price, 8 Staple Close, Waterlooviile,
Hampshire P07 6AH or Tel: Water-
looviile 58093 (home) or Cosham
321212 ext 5437 (work).
VIC 20 16k expansion, in excellent
condition with tape recorder, joy-
stick and games-Jelly Monster
(cartridge), Pack of four games, and
educational tapes. Sell for only
£165 Ring 01-937 1992, anytime,
BBC B wanted, also additional
equipment, books, software con-
sidered London area, will collect,
Tel: 01-370 0718, Evenings: 01-373
6354,
AMBER 2400 dot matrix printer.
Excellent condition. Leads for Acorn
Atom, paper, ink cartridge. Data
sheets. Instruction booklet, £60, Tel:
Kevin 04024 45464 (evenings only),
WANTED. BBC B computer. Ivtust be
VGC. No software required. Tel: 01-
5941965 (London area).
PRINTER. Star DP510 complete with
interface cable, original packing,
2000 sheets of paper and telex rolls.
As new, £200 ono, Tel; (0506) 42659
after 6 pm,
KENDA DIVIFS/DOS. Double density.
No user RAiy used, allowing easy
transfer of cassettes. No limit to
number of files. CP/lvl filenames.
Recovery of erased files and lots
more. £80. Tel: Rajiv. 01-204 1908.
SEIKOSHA GP-250X graphics
printer with BBC cable, screen
dump program, manual, new ribbon.
Excellent condition £175. Tel: Went-
worth2621.
WANTED. BBC micro disc interface,
will pay up to £60. Tel: Sheringham
(0263) 823936. Ask for Jonathan after
6 pm.
WANTED. Any BBC ROIVIs-will pay
£15 ono; your old 0.1/1.0 EPROIVls-
will pay £5 ono; ATPL ROM board -
will pay £20 ono. Tel; 08833 7495.
SWEEPER. Wanted data, plug-ins.
spares for Telonic SM2000 Sweep
Generator. Please ring Ralph
Taylor, 0766 770637, evenings or
write Bwlch Glas, Penrhyndeud-
raeth, Gwynedd LL486RU.
EXCHANGE back issues of
American personal/hobby comput-
ing magazines. What have you?
Smith. 84 Edenfield Gardens, Wor-
cester Park, Surrey KT4 7DY,
JOYSTICK. Fantastic sure shot self
centering joystick. Two fire buttons.
As used in over 250,000 arcade
machines worldwide. Sturdy con-
struction. As new, boxed, still under
guarantee, £13. Tel; (091) 336-2812
after 6 pm.
ACORN Atom 12k RAM, 8k ROM,
Manuals, leads, some software.
Factory serviced, good condition,
£55 ono. Crook, Ongar (0277) 363615
(evenings).
ATOM 12k plus 12k, 3 books, games,
plus Tandy 4-colour printer and
cable, cassette recorder and lead,
black and white TV, New £550, will
sell £345. May sell separately, Write
to D, Pearce, Powell House, Sed-
bergh, Cumbria (other offers are
welcome).
GRAFPAD graphics tablet, brand
new Includes CAD specialist soft-
ware, disc and cassette, manuals.
Value £164 - will sell tor £120.
Morphy Encore chess computer,
NICAD battery pack (rechargeable),
£90 ono, Tel: 01-743 1579 (evenings),
TEAC 55A slimline disc drives. Pair,
single sided 40-track 200k total,
excellent units, genuine reason for
sale, complete with format disc/
manual. One only, £260 Offers, 0679
63611,
WANTED. Aids ROIvl, printer to suit
BBC B. Solidisc sideways RAM
board. Please leiephone your price.
Ask for Peter. Tel; Minehead (0643)
3969, after 6 pm,
BBC computer disc interface kit, full
set of 1 1 chips, £95 ono. Martin. Bed-
ford (0234)46951,
BBC Model B, 1,20S, Basic 2,
switched mode PSU, £300, Also
Hobbit with zero memory option,
£70, Tel; 04026 7339 after 8 pm, Les.
BBC B with disc interface. Acorn
800k disc drives, Solidisk 32k RAM
board, joysticks and vast collection
of software, £900 ono. May split.
Also Acorn Z80 second processor,
£250. Tel: Richard. 01-340 0534,
WATFORD Electronics MK. 1 ROM
socket board, with fitting instruc-
tions, for sale. First ofter of £25
secures. Derek - Ruislip 31386,
TANDY colour graphics plotter, Cen-
tronics (BBC compatible), serial
interfaces. Complete kit, under
guarantee, £95 ono. Also ZX81 -
otters? Bryants, 1 The Hollies, Chal-
craft Lane, Bognor Regis P021 5SX,
Tel; 829478,
ATARI VC5 with paddles and joy-
sticks, four cartridges, £60 ono.
Please ring Doncasler 531175,
TELEPRINTER and BBC interface
for sale, £40. Also disc interface kit
wanted, will pay or swap for Tele-
printer and interface Tel Cardift
(0222) 620053 after 5 pm.
BBC B, DFS plus 1.20S plus Acorn
speech, £385 ono. D. A. Shugart 5J
inch DD, £150 ono. Grundig 16" TV/
Monitor, £200 ono or £700 for every-
thing plus extras, Voltmace Delta
14b joystick, £10. Voltmace keypad
adaptor box, £11, Advanced User
Guide, £10, Tel: Piumtree 5143 even-
ings,
CUMANA CD200 dual 40-track disc
drives, integral power supply with
leads, formatting disc and manual.
Still under warranty, £300. Leather-
head, Surrey (0372) 373740.
WANTED. Portable colour tele-
vision, good working order. Price
negotiable. Tel: Leyland 51720,
evenings after 4 o'clock,
BBC B 1 .2, Basic II, BBC DFS plus D/
drive, Wordwise and Tandy CGPl 15
P/printer plus desk plus programs
All-in price, £500. Contact Pat, 01-
330 4662 after 6.30 pm.
ATOM routine wanted to disable
break key- Basic or M/C. Write to
Martin Coffey, 11 Courtfield Road,
Ashford, Middlesex TW15 UN.
WANTED. BBC Model B with disc
interface and possibly disc drive,
Tel; (0752) 51355 after 5 pm.
BBC Model B and disc interface
(ANB03), Acorn fitted DFS. Issue 7,
1.20S. 2,0 Basic, Four weeks old,
£395. Tel; evenings, 0730 (Peters-
field) 64059.
WATFORD ROM board, £22.50 32k
Solidisk sideways RAM and utility
discs, £35, Forth ROM and manual,
£22,50, Disc-Doctor ROM, £20. All
manuals etc Want colour monitor.
Tel; 0635-41571 (Newbury).
JUKI printer, three wheels, and six
ribbons, £300, Tel; Gloucester (0452)
421930 after 6,30 pm,
WATFORD ROM expansion board
for sale, £24, Tel; Newcastle (091)
4886132,
WANTED. Acorn BBC DFS ROM.
Must be 0,98 version. Telephone
price to 0342 712448, after 7 pm.
EXCHANGE Moto-Guzzi V50II 6700
mis screen and other extras For
disc and printer system, approx
value £800, compatible with BBC,
Tel; 029-13 2298,
BBC Model B 0S1.2, plus 5 games
cassettes (worth £40), plus 2 books.
All mint condition, £410, Tel.
(Sidcup) 302-9952 (ask for Daryl),
BBC B 1 20S Microware DDFS Teac
[800k) 40/80 D/S disk drive, MCP40
printer/plotter, cassette recorder,
disks, numerous games, utilities,
EPROMs, books etc, joysticks, All as
new. £750, W, Sussex (0903) 762093.
WANTED for Atom, Acorn Wordpack
ROM. BBC Basic board. Forth and
Lisp with manuals, games packs
9/11 . No extortionate prices please.
Phone Mark on Thanet (0843)
582132.
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
EPSON M-160 b>^7 matrix printer,
24 characters single or double
height or width printing and
graphics. Barely used Leads and
screen dump included. Plug in and
go! Only C45. Tel: 07S0 740363.
BBC model B one year old with
Exmon, Wordwise ROMs, BBC
cassette recorder, computer table,
soltware, books: £399, no offers.
Ring John 0744 819453 (Merseyside)
after 8pm.
KAGA Taxan Vision 1 RGB colour
monitor, complete with lead for
Beeb. As new and boxed, C175, Tel:
John (0432)271589, Hereford,
BBC model B 1.20S, absolutely
unused, £350 -no offers. Write to Mr
D Leach, 104 St George's Square,
Pimlico, London SWl
WANTED Utility and application
ROIufs from Acorn, Computer Con-
cepts. Watford, Beebugsoft. Pace,
others? Eg View. Beebcalc.
Graphics, Beebfont, Toolkit, Comm-
star. Toolstar. Database. Tel: 0792
207258 or write to 10 Benbow Close,
Sketty, Swansea SA2 8LH,
FOR SALE. Shugarl dual 100k disc
drives with masses of software, only
E380, Prism modem 1000, brand
new, only £50. Tel: 0223 829384 after
6pm.
FORTY copies Personal Computer
World. Offers/Swap. Wanted joystick
for Beeb Phone David 07563482.
CAN you help? Does anyone know
where I can get a screen dump for a
BBC B to a Dolphin BD80P? If you
can help contact Mr Lutak on 021-
358 6384 evenings.
BEEBPLOTTER. Watford, 4 months
old. never used (£69 new) only £48
including tape, manual, postage.
Write to Nasser, 8 Canterbury Hill,
Tyler Hill, Canterbury, Kent CT2
9LS.
TELETEXT adaptor for sale. £150
Wanted, Daisywheel or other
reasonably priced printer. Phone
025763271.
PRINTER. Seikosha GP80A graphic
printer. Beady to use with Beeb.
30cps, excellent condition. Will give
masses of paper with it. Asking
£120. If interested phone 01-959 1916
and ask for Andrew,
PRINTER. Line Printer VII, excellent
condition. Ideal for Beeb. Takes
standard paper and labels. 8-blt dot
image printing -screen dump in-
cluded. Phone 01-693 8434. Micronel
01-639 7653. f^at Biggs
PRISM modem 2000: for sale with
ROM software and all leads etc, 4
months old, great condition, any
offers considered. Phone Jason
(0495) 271353 after 4,30pm on week-
days or any lime on weekends.
WANTED. BBC model B, 1,203 plus
DFS, Also disk drive. 01-670 9147
after 7 pm
PRINTER. Centronics 739 dot matrix,
including BBC cable, Graphics, pro-
portional spacing, 80 and 132
columns, friction and tractor feed,
160cps, View printer driver £200
ono. Phone 01-654 2175 evenings
only.
WANTED: BBC model B. Pay up to
£250, more if extras included
(ROMs, monitor, cassette recorder,
elc). Phone Richard on 01-249 2406.
ATOM. FP ROM. Disatom. Word
Pack ROM + 2 other toolboxes, VIA.
printer driver, Timedata RAM card,
(16-32k), plenty of soflware/books:
its packed full! 5V, lOA PSU, All in
apple case-£125 ono. Phone Steve
on 01-300 7128 (evenings)
BBC model B with Wdwse, disc
interface, Cumana doubie disc
drive, database on disc, manuals
and box. £750 ono, Tel Orpington
35784 or 01-303 9240 evenings
ORIC 48k version, PSU, games
cassettes plus software for morse
tuition, QRA locator and RTTY split
screen, £70. Also Mattel IntelMvision
console plus numerous firmware
Offers Denham (0895) 832147,
BBC model B, 031. 2, optional soft-
ware and tape recorder, £350 ono
Contact: Lea Brindle. Bedford (0234)
218356 or 750111 ext 2235. Flat 1, 48
Shakespeare Road. Bedford.
SEIKOSHA GP100A graphics printer
including cable for BBC, paper and
graphics and text screen dump utili-
ties for BBC £150, Phone Chalfont
31 Giles (02407) 4827 evenings.
BBC model B, issue 7. 1,203, boxed
as new with manual, welcome tape,
guarantee card Less than two
months old £330 ono. Phone Erith
63841 after seven.
WANTED. P8271 -forty pounds cash
waiting or Acorn or Watford OFS-
pay up to £60, Phone Ken, Horley
71975 after 6pm
WANTED. Acorn Atom computer.
Tel Worksop (0909) 721421 after
6pm
BBC model B and Hitachi monitor
for sale 1 203. Good condition,
£360 cash, London SWl, 01-834
0143.
BEEBPLOTTER graphics tablet for
BBC B 32k. hardly used. Will draw
and copy pictures in all modes.
Instructions and software all in-
cluded, £50. Tel, Stuart Sidders,
Watford (0923) 31247.
BBC B 1,20S, Acorn DFS. Word-
wise, software worth £700, 400k
double sided switchable disk drive,
34 floppies, green screen monitor.
Worth £1,600- the lot £1.055 ono.
Telephone 047 283 378 after 7pm,
Kevin Bramhili.
BBC model B, 081,2, basic 2, Acorn
disc interface Official BBC disc
drive 100k, some software. Offers
between £250 to £350. Phone (0274)
501776
WANTED. Compiler for BBC B, Must
compile quickly and compactly Will-
ing to pay up to £10 for originals on
tape (must include full documen-
tation). Tel, Adrian 0705 372698,
EXPANDABLE CONSOLE FOR BBC MICRO
As supplied to Universities. Colleges. Schools,
business & home users
A professional console to house
disc drives/2nd processor/ Torch
dual drives/ teletext, etc. All untidy
wiring out of sight in the strong
aluminium console in 3 matching
textured colour. AVAILABLE NOW
a bolt on extra module for extra
expansions.
Also available a matching printer
stand, yes stack your paper under
the printer.
ALSO VDU STANDS AVAILABLE
Torch version available
ELECTRON CONSOLES
The console houses the electron
and will safely support the expan-
sion interlaces which plug into the
rear of the micro, supports the
VDUand tidies up all wiring, allows
expansion to disc at a later dale,
PRICES
Special Torch Version £46.99 + £4 p/p
BBC Console E44,99 + £4 p/p
Bolt on expansion £14,99 + E2 p/p
VDU/Printer Stand E14.99 + £2 p/p
Electron Console £34.99 + £:4 p/p
Please add VAT @ 15%to all prices
For further information enclose sae or send clieque to,
Mail Orde
Only
Viewing by
arrangement
' J'i/ent
01-801 3014
27 Wycombe Rd
London N17
24 hour
ansaphone
Please allow 28 days for delivery
AillCROTEK COMPUTER SERVICES
Authorised
acorn
dealer
B.B.C.B& acorn
electron
CUMANA disk drives
DECCACOLOUR & MICROVITEC monitors
SEIKOSHA. EPSON & DAISYSTEP printers
ACORNSOFT/MERLE business software
ACORNSOFT full range
NEXUS HOUSE
2 CRAY ROAD
SIDCUP, KENT
01300 307S/6
ACCESS/BARCLAYCARD WELCOME
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
THE
PULSE'
5.25
DISC
DRIVES
ANNOUNCEMENT
* Northern Computers aimounce 6 new models of
Micropulse 5.25' ' disc drive, manufactured and
assembled in the North West, for the BBC
computer.
These drives are exactly compatible with the two
Acom/BBC disc formats. They are based on the
highest quality Teac mechanisms with built-in
power supply, as previously supplied by
Cumana Ltd.
* Pnces from
+ V.A.T.
* Also: High Quality 3 ' ' Compact Disc Drives
* Prices from ^^j^j^ + y.A.T.
* Each Micropulse disc drive is supplied with a BBC
cable, formatter utility disc and comprehensive
55page disc filing system manual for the BBC
computer.
* For further details send large S.A.E. to :
Northern Computers,
Churchfield Road,
i computers !■ frodsham
Cheshire WA6 6RD
Tel: 0928 35110
northern
'<Al EXTERNAL ROM
For the BBC Computer and the
Acorn Electron
£49.95
+ VAT
■O- BRITISH MANUFACTURE -fy ALLOWS 8 ROMS ON LINE
-^ HARDWARE-BASED ROM SELECTION AVOIDS SOFTWARE
INTERACTION BETWEEN UTILITY ROMS
■0- SWITCH TO REQUIRED ROM USING MANUAL SWITCH
OUTSIDE THE UNIT
■<l' RED LIGHTS INDICATE THE SELECTED ROM
-^ HIT "BREAK" TO ACCESS ROM, NO NEED TO USE
SOFTWARE COMMAND
■0- INCLUDES ZIF SOCKET, FOR INSTANT CHANGING OF A
SELECTED ROM
■O- INCLUDES BBC CABLE AND ROM SOCKET CONNECTOR
■0- INCLUDES SIMPLE FITTING INSTRUCTIONS.
JUST PLUG IN AND GO!
please contact: Garelh Littler
Mark Howard or
IIIKKU
PULSP
■ Micro Pulse
^ Division
northern __
Churchfield Road.
Cheshire WA6 6RD
Tel: 0928 35 110
ACORN USER ADVERTISEMENT PAGES -SEPTEMBER ISSUE
3D Computers
144
Enigma
101
Musicsoft
85
AB Design
128
Ephagy Software
152
Newark Video Centre
85
Ack Data
160
Epic Software
ISO
Newnes Technical Books
66
Acorn
Acorn
AJ Vision
72/73
164/166/167
109
GCC (Cambridge)
Gemini
131
30
Northern Computers
Opus
182
32/152/159/175
Aktiler
26
Golem
GSL
Guardian Software
89
98
162
Pace
80/158
AMS
6
Phimag
Power Soft
19
160
Beebug
131
Harris McCutcheon
116
Printerland
83
Beebug
Beebugsofl
170
50/51
Holderness Computers
89
Quixtor
118
Beebugsoft
4/5
Inmac
90
Ranjan
162
Bel Tech
66
In tec
Interface
14
1&4
SCI (UK)
105/107/109
C-Tech
9
Intersoft
63
Screen
162
Cambridge Computer Consultants 1 1 1
Silent Computers
181
Care Electronics
58
Kansas
162
Simonsoft
36
Ctiase Data
132/133
Kansas
64
SIR
128
Cheetah Marketing
54
Kosmos
107
SIR
76
CJE Micros
151
LVL
IFC
Skywave
144
Clares
24/25
Learn we 11
62
S logger Software
84
CMS
16
Level 9
53
Softlile
152
Computer Concepts
23/126/171
Litelong Learning
154
Solidlsk
92/93
Computerama
1
Loco Systems
120
Statacom
140
Computertown
Consumer Electronics
172/173
11
Mayfair Micros
Merlin
Micheals Business Systems
Micro Aid
86
Superior Software
Superior Software
156
82
Control Universal
Cranfleld
140
162
114
62
34
Superior Software
System
IBC
118/176
Cumana
CYB Design
71
150
Micro Management
Micro Solve
55/56/57
142
Tandy
Technomatic
116
20/21/22
Database
28
Micro Writer
134/135
Third Program
142
Dataefficiency
66
Micro- Ad vent
86
Twillstar 81/83/85/87/89/91 |
Data pen
104
Micro-Fast
146
United Disk Memories
148
Datastore
87
Micro-Fix
87
Victor-Morris
160
Datatechnology
12/13
Micro-Man
16
Viglen 119/121/122/123/125 1
Datastar Systems
100
Micro-Resources
142
Vine Micros
84
Diamondsoft
136
Micro-Tek
181
Voltmace
76
Discotechnolbgy
DPL
60
136
Micro-Vitec
Micro-Z
174
62
Walton Associates
154
Duckworth
120
Micropower
46/138/OBC
Warm Boot
62
Microtest
78
Watford 38/39/40/41/42/43/44 |
ECCE
120
Microware
47
West Coast Personal
160
Elbug
112
Minns Sykes
17
Zygon Products
101
Electronequip
168/169
MLC
116
Sorting Program Couriesy ol Gemini
182
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
I
SMALL ADS
DISC drive for BBC micro. Single,
slimline, Microware drive, double-
sided. 40-lrack (200k), Cased, with
all leads for direct connection. Only
£130. Telephone Max Heath, 01-363
7175. anytime,
TWO ATARI joysticks and Bud joy-
stick interface to analogue port. (Im-
mediately compalible witfi Acornsoft
games,} E17. Also Spectravideo joy-
stick for user port, and conversion
tape £7. (01) 722 7846 evenings.
BBC B 1.20S fwlicrovitec colour
monitor, cassette recorder, joy-
sticks, boxed and as new. Also 20 +
games, manuals, 100+ magazines
(including BBC/Acorn). Genuine
bargain at £675. Caller collects.
Teleptione 0752 333479 evenings
6pm/7pm,
FINISHED with those back issues of
Byte. DDJ, etc? Kilobaud/Microcom-
puting, 73, 68, 60 Micro, etc avail-
able to exchange Send your list and
wants to; Smitti, 84 Edenfield Gar-
dens, Worcester Park. Surrey KT4
7DY.
REGA Planar 3 turntable plus Gold-
ring C920 IGC cartridge. C150 ono.
Sir ROM board £35, Mono green
monitor (BBC) £90 ono, Prestinox
35mm slide projector £30, screen £5.
Intel livision cartridges £10 each.
Complete computer system £900
ono. Telephone Mike on 051-933
8387. Liverpool,
TANDY CGP115 four colour printer/
plotter plus £30 worth paper, pens,
El 15 ono. Phone Notlm 292055,
QUICKSHOT joystick plus joystick
driver, good condition, £12. Tele-
phone Nottingham 257355.
ROMs-HCCS Forth. Pace OFS,
Beebase-1. £18 each. Prism acous-
tic modem for Prestel, £20, Quick-
shot joystick £10. Software included
with modem and joystick Tel (0782)
314053 after 7pm,
BBC ROMs for sale, Wordwise and
Advanced Graphics ROMs. Worth
over £40 each, will accept £20 each.
Reason for sale; unwanted gifts.
Ring 01-552 3181 after 4,30pm. Ask
forSukhjit.
TANDY CGP115 4 colour printer/
plotter Excellent condition, in box
with BBC Centronics lead, £100 ono.
Telephone Walsall (0922) 24850.
SPEECH synthesizer for BBC com-
puter. Cheetah Sweet Talker, Only
one month old, £15. Tel; 0602
285003.
BACK issues of Kilobaud/Micro-
computing, 68, 73, Micro 6502, 80
Micro, etc. SAE list. Exchanges wel-
comed (American magazines only).
Smith, 84 Edenfield Gardens, Wor-
cester Park, Surrey KT4 7DY
WANTED Quickshot II Joystick. Ring
(0840) 212550 from 5-6pm. ask for
Simon
BBC B 1,20S, Acorn DPS, manual,
leads, some software magazines.
BBC data recorder available, £400,
very good condition Phone Appleby
(Cumbria) 52358.
PRINTER Tandy CGP-IIS. 40-80
characters/line, in 4 colours. Also
does graphics. Boxed with manual
as new, £100. Tel; 0325 312417.
■ NEW! Edit 7-mode 7. full
feature, 10 page text and
graphics editor £5. Disas-
sembler-E3.50. Egg-the up-
grade -8 new boards, joysticks
and nnore for Chuckkle Egg,
£3,50. Cheques. POs to Crystal-
soft, 8 Pepys Walk, Langney,
Eastbourne, Sussex BN23 7QR,
■ ROMboards? Fit a ROM
Extension Socket to your Beeb's
keyboard instead. Use any
number of ROMs. Rapid change
over. Easily fitted. £19,99 inclus-
ive. Steelappeal, Hambledon
Close, Blandford, Dorset, Tel:
(0258) 53742,
■ Beams designed to BS.449
(steel) and CP,112 (timber) for
architects, engineers, builders.
Printout satisfies L.A, Send
large SAE to Beamscan, 20
Vaughan Avenue, Hendon,
London NW4 4HU.
■ Interface board tor BBC
micro, provides 8 channel ADC,
real time clock, allophone
speech synthesiser, 4 I/O ports
and DAG, All for £70, Send SAE
+ 50p for full details to VM
Interface, 42 Arnham Road,
Preston PR1 40N,
■ BBC Image ultimate tape
back-up copier. Copes with
locks, files, any length, false
addresses, ?'s in filename, 300
+ 1200 baud. Unlocks/locks
programs. 100% M/C. £3.80. P
Donn, 33 Little Gaynes Lane.
Upminster, Essex RM14 2JR.
■ Super BBC fun learning
package. Resource & Builder,
used in schools. Test your
knowledge before you ask the
children, £10 inc postage. End-
less possibilities. Creative
Learning Programs Ltd, 9 Silver
Park Close, Aldershot GU13
OBP, Telephone: 02514 6215.
■ Nutcrackers. Tape 2 tape +
tape 2 disc + disc 2 disc + disc
2 tape: £5, ■C40 to 80': 40 track to
80 track converter: £5. 'Rompull'
+ tape dump + 'tape recover':
£5. R-Soft, 22 Marriott's Close.
Felmersham, Beds MK43 7HD.
Tel: 0234 781730,
■ BBC Micros. Large stock of
model Bs, clearance sale £370
each all inclusive. Phone Hot-
line (0632) 737654, Kumar Com-
puters, 9 Crossley Terrace.
Newcastle NE4 SNY. Limited
offer.
■ Antistatic washable dusters
containing 1% stainless steel.
Removes risk of disk drop outs,
EPROM damage and high volt-
age screen static, 50p each or
£4 for 10. Peter Drew (Textiles)
Ltd, Canada House, Bidford-on-
Avon,WarksB50 4JN.
■ Advanced User Guide
binders. Stiff plastic backed,
titled, open flat, ring binders.
£3.50 inc p&p, Hepworth & Co.
Waulkmill Farm, Ingersley Vale.
Bollington, Cheshire SK10 5BP.
■ INDEX -The different data-
base. Store any article refer-
ence or a synopsis on your
favourite subject. Any length of
record. Filing/search using own
keywords. Details: Vicdata Soft-
ware, 30 Repton Way, Rick-
mansworth, Herts WD3 3PW,
£8.25.
■ 'Superior Mover' Last
chance! Moves Hunchback.
2002, Qbert, Roadrunner, etc
automatically to disc: ready to
run. £5. R-Soft, 22 Marriotts
Close, Felmersham, Beds MK43
7HD. Tel: 0234 781730.
■ BBC unwanted software:
Gemini's Cashbook £30, Soft-
ware for All's Purchase/Sales
Ledger £20 (each). All origmais,
(disk), M, Mynott, 116 Churchill
Road, East Barnet, Herts.
■ Copyking back-up tape
copier. Multiple copies from
single loading. 300 + 1200
baud- Locks/unlocks. £3.50.
Electron/BBC B 0S1,2-state
which. T Thornham. 6 The Mea-
dows, Walberton, W. Sussex
BN18 0PB.
■ 500 Labels £3,50, VAT/
delivery included. Two across,
35". Barrington Associates Ltd,
FREEPOST, Cheadle Hulme,
Cheshire SK8 7YB,
■ 1 say, I say, I say . . . anything.
Interrupt driven speech syn-
thesiser-best yet! Resident
vocabulary. BBC only. Software
ROM, £34,99 + 50p p&p. Che-
ques and POs to Metron Audio,
7 Delilah Road, Hamworthy,
Poole, Dorset,
■ Juki 6100 daisywheel
printers. New/guaranteed, £375
including VAT, Free delivery in
the UK. Also 400k/800k disc
drives from £189 delivered,
Woking (04862) 62020, anytime.
■ 'How to' move your s/w from
tape to disk. Cassette with 9(!)
utilities and extensive docu-
mentation; £5, R-Soft, 22 Mar-
riotts Close, Felmersham, Beds
MK43 7HD, Tel: 0234 781730,
■ Printwise adds power to
Wordwise/Epson, Simple com-
mands replace messy control
codes. Also Greek (FX only),
macros, autonumbering! £12.50
(disc) or SAE details. Astrosoft,
39 Latimer Way, North Ptcken-
hamPE37 9JY.
■ Ardsott Educational Software
announce the release of their
new, quality educational soft-
ware. Free catalogue and demo
cassette available on request.
Send 50p (p&p) to Ardsoft Edu-
cational Software, 20 Castle
View, Leeds LS17 5BY.
■ Joysticks -top quality at
amazing low price. Only £9,95 a
pair. Easier to handle and faster
than others costing twice as
much, Cheque/PO to Peritron,
21 Woodhouse Road, London
N12 9EN,
■ Stolen during burglary - BBC
model 8, unmodified, serial No,
10-ANB01-3050166; Philips
D2924 keyboard entry LW/MW/
SW/VHF: Radio, LCD display.
Serial No. 10288; Network
NW900 cassette recorder.
Reward offered; Phone 01-954
2311 ext4325.
■ Heartrate monitor -BBC B,
Complete hardware (built) +
software cassette, displays
heartbeat trace on screen +
digital pulse readout, optional
'EGG' beep etc, Pfugs into ana-
logue port, detects pulse from
finger held on infra-red sensor.
Details included for use as a lie
detector, monitoring fitness etc.
Introductory price only £15.95
inc. Computer People, 30 West-
holme Gardens, Ruislip, Middx,
I
£10 SMALL AD SERVICE
I
Please include your cheque for CIO made payable to Redwood Publishing. This is
I the standard fee. Don't forget your name, address or phone number. Send cheque I
- plus form to Acorn User Small Ads, 68 Long Acre, London WC2E 9JH.
I
I
I
I
I
1
1
ago
1
1
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
DIARY
I
The old joke
is on Torch
■ so, having been bought up by
Acorn, Torch has now done its own
thing and bought up the distri-
bution rights to the Graduate fronn
Data Technologies (founded by
Martin Vlieland-Boddy, who set up
Torch -small world isn't it?).
Well, having got the topical Intro
out of the way. let's get down to the
joke. Here goes . . .
Imagine it's Christmas and Her-
mann Mauser's three lads come up
to sit on dad's knee and ask for
their presents.
Oldest boy: 'I want a Porsche like
yours, dad.'
HH: 'Fine son, it'son the way.'
Second boy: 'Dad, can I have a
Macintosh?'
HH: 'Sure son.'
Youngest boy: 'Please
daddy, can I have a cowboy
outfit?'
HH: 'I'll go out and get you
one right now.' So Hermann
pops out and buys him Torch!
■ WITH the Acorn share price
leaping to 193p and then diving
to 120p Acorn Abuser asks:
Which Acorn directors have
recently taken holidays in the
Bahamas?
■ ACORNSOFT has added the
exciting Progo to its range of
languages. Progo is a cross
between Prolog and Logo
designed for artificially intelli-
gentturtles.
Languages supremo Paul
Finland commented: 'Progo
will be available on the Elec-
tron as soon as we get the plus
5IVlouse interface.
ACORN Is very proud o( its record In introducing women to computing, and nowhere was this in
greater evidence than at the Wl Leisure Exhibition. Even the Queen came along to lalce a look at the
stand. However, a certain hypocritical view has been noticed in the company's sponsorship of one of
the most sexist of sports, motor racing. This even stretched to providing two 'dolly birds' (o kiss the
winners at the British heat of the F3 European championship.
Mind you, at least Acorn did turn out for the Women's Institute because, as Acorn's PR men assure
us in their release, no other computer company did. Furthermore, nearly all the staff on Acorn's
stand were women, taken from the education and customer services divisions.
ACORN
ABUSER'S
'The micro-mouse and
micro-turtle communicate via
own language, Smalltalk,
which should be available in
the third quarter,"
■ A VISITOR to Acorn's
London HQ in Henrietta St.
recently complained his
Acornsoft disc would not work.
On being asked for the disc,
the customer removed his
wallet and extracted a floppy
disc, which was carefully
folded into four!
When told it couldn't be re-
placed he replied: 'But I was
told a floppy disc was flexible,'
■ B&G Software has devel-
oped the ultimate in protection
devices for the company's new
cassettes. It's so secure that
not even their tape duplicators
can break it,
MASiB quote '. . . launch of
Data Technologies' IBM PC
compatible upgrade for the
model B. The Cambridge hot-
30 *FX10.4
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go '^ui.i2s,7Vf.i:m.2'Sb. tza. 120.255, i28.i;i;s.2S5
il'"' r-k1i'.ITTAB<^.Ei ! "Ever wanted to" ' 'TABl3) ; "bl ow up a QL ."■'
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ItiO FOfJT = I 1 n200[ Ngxr
160 i:i_R:30UNU0.-l5.7.50
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I.VO ir R'^l GC0L0,12' ELSE I3CDU0,14
200 MDVE-550,500iOftAWRNDti280) .RND(1000(
2:30 NEXT
27.0 FRINTTAP(2.5) :"TOtJGH LUCK CLIVEf"
240 F0M" = ilD4'.'0(_iiWEXT
■'--■n HUN
■ !JEFfRai;aL(XX.YX)
. . I ■ '.TjUSiGCai.u.tJiMClVex!',, Vi:PF'!JNTE>TRlNB-*(j;,CHRa22't)
M-J iJCOl.O, 15jMUVEX-',,yS:VlJU225,2Sa.227
2'^0 VDUfljENDPRaC:
Bit of a silly one
this. The idea of the
game is to blatthe
QL-and all you
have to do is press
the space bar.
As the authors,
Richard Batt and
George Martin, admit,
the program is of little
educational value, but
they did put it together
at the end of a
computer studies lesson.
Other readers have
only to send in their
entries and, who knows,
they too might win
one of our coveted
software prizes.
house continues to produce
revolutionary products to sup-
port the BBC and this one is
particularly well branded as
the 'Graduate'.
Not a bad writeup consider-
ing the UdderGraduate is DT's
first product.
■ ALL these rumours about a
new Acorn DFS! Our very own
disc controller Orson Fact
interviewed Hugeo Thighsson,
the man who gave us 0.90 and
then emigrated,
HT: 'In the beginning there
was 0.90, Then I created the 57
internal varieties resulting in
1 .2 for the second processors.
'There is no such thing
called the ADFS-it doesn't
exist - and it certainly wont be
released this year. No it isn't
compatible with the Watford
DFS.'
Hugeo has recently been re-
placed by Australian Bruce
Cowboil. who shot to promi-
nence in Rooland for causing
the great Fosters drought of
1982.
■ ACORN International MD
Bob Mayhem has reacted
angrily to allegations of selling
lethal Exocet local area net-
works to Argentina, Roving
Acorn reporter Orson Fact was
passing through Brazllia when
he saw a shipment of Level II
Flyswatters on its way to
Buenos Aries (codenamed
Aries B20 in the Falklands
war).
When quizzed as to the fight-
ing potential of the Flyswatters
Mayhem retorted: 'They are
completely harmless without
the DNFS 3.0 arming device.
Vector sent those to Iraq '
ACORN USER SEPTEMBER 1984
UUflLLBBV (32K) £7.95
From the oudior of Overdrive comes another superb orcode-oction gome. Vou must guide UJolly the Boxing
LUollobv up the lodders to rescue the boby ujolloby from its cage. The evil monkeys mill try to stop UJolly in his
tracks; he can kill the monkeys by o soj I ft upper-cut, but luotch out for the opple-cores aihich they huri at him
ujithout compassion. Five screens of Increosing difficulty uuith bonus fruit on each level. Vet onother ujinner from
Superior Softujorel
•••N€UUR€L€RS€««*
■/ -
Mony of our titles ore ovailoble in Boots, UU.H. Smiths, John Menzies, Rumbelouus, Loskys, Currys,
HMV, Greens ot Debenhoms and Spectrum Shops. RIso at oil major computer dealers - €ltec
Computers, Micro Management, UUest Coast Personal Computers. Mlcostyle. 6lectronequip, 3D
Computers, Computeroma, GTM Computers, etc. Our softiuore is also ovoiloble through oil the
major distributors, ond directly from us by moil-order.
^MULiLSlyi^
SMftSHRNDGRAe(52K) t,7 95
An excellent and orlginol orcode-stvle gome In luhich \fou take the role of a
robber olmlng to sootch bogs of gold from the bonk, fl pollcemon Is oftef i,khj
... he is oble tojumpot you orsquot douunond trv to hit you ujith his trundieon.
Vou must olso keep deor of the flying police cones ond flooting dustbin lids.
There ore 3 fosclnoting saeensof octlon indudingploy streets ujith bouncing
bolts, ona-iitokf streets, conveyor belts, traffic lights ond police-boxes. R
novel ond amusing gome.
(H€VBOflftD 0(\ X>.'5nCKS)
•••NeiJUf=Kl€aS6***
SUNRIOA SOFTUIflRC IT1>.
Dept. flU9, Regent House,
Skinner Lane, Leeds 7
Tel: 0532 459453
OUR OUARAWTCC
(1 ) Fill our softuiore is ovoilobie before uje advertise.
(2) Rll our softiuare is despotched ujithin 48 hours by first-doss post
(3) In Che unlihely event thot any of our softuiore foils to load, return your
cassette to us and uje luIII immediately send o replacement
(Z)aQOQQt9(!ZJQO(3aBOQQC3-eZ]QQ(S
rZ4 AN EXCITING NEW BBC MICRO PROGRAM FROM BRITAIN'S LEADING SOFTWARE HOUSE
lU!
^
n
^
w
^
'Cross the desert wast
the^^barren world. Sho
down ttie Moebian figl
flying overhead and cj
the fuel cannisters
dropping from enem)^^
tankers. Jump over m
lava pools and blast tt
radioactive rocks whic.
block your way.
Super smooth scrolling
landscape and seven ty
of alien craft. k
A
wniTTEN AMV PROGHAMS'
WE PAV m'V ROYALTIESi
AVAILABLE FROM ALL GOOD RETAtLEHS tMCLUDING SELECTED
BRANCHES Ot=.
flip fofioimrig Tuo iirier. a<<?
..v^ilabie to( "bolh »>e BBC Micro arri Elei.irO" Killer Gorilla C7 96;
Sandils bi 3 a'Clack C6 SG/Moonraidar E7.9efCroaksr E7 9S'
FelK in ina Factory [7.H/fel<> and Ihs Fruit Monstars C7 ».'
Chess £7 95/Draw « 96/Esc»p* Com Uoonbasa Alpha O 95/
CybetiD" Mmsmn C7 K/Swoop F7.96/lnlergalBCIic Trader £S 9S/
Posliron a, 95; Adventure C7 95/GBlacIic Commander O.SSi
Danger UXB [7 SS/Electron Invaders 0.9G.Ghuuls O 95
SHOWROOM. NORTHWOOD HOUSE, NORTH STREET
LEEDS I.S7 2AA Tal 105321 158800
MAIL ORDER, MICRO POWER LTD
SHEEPSCAR STREET SOUTH, LEEDS LS7 1AD
Tel 10532) 434006 '' ^ ^ ^ '"' """"
^SPECIAL OFFER Dediii:! L1 per cas^eiie «(hier' orileiinH iwo of more
m
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d
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